Any issues that make Franchise Mode Unplayable?

[JBlaze78]

Re: Any issues that make Franchise Mode Unplayable?

So, I bought the game because it was on sale. Luckily, microsoft gave me a refund. It's funny how EA can make a game better and worse at the same time.

I had the game for about 2 days and pretty much all the negative that has been said about Franchise Mode is true. The gameplay is better, but the mess that is Franchise Mode negates all the positives and since the mode itself has been a disaster for so many years now, I'm not willing to do another year of it.

As for the guy who uses player-lock in Season Mode... I can see why that works and makes the game playable, but it's just not enough for me. I need the deep dive and EA just doesn't do that anymore.

And THIS is exactly why I made the post I did. The POST TOPIC being "Any issues that make Franchise Mode Unplayable." I am not going to put lipstick on a pig just because something unrelated to the topic is better. Stick to the topic at hand! Glad you got your money back. I hope that the game gets better in the future for us all. As is I am tired of making excuses for a billion dollar company!

[PernellKarl076]

Re: Any issues that make Franchise Mode Unplayable?

Love how all the people that have found their niche way of making this game playable dunk on all the people that dislike the game for what it TRULY is and want to pay for a product that simulates what it says it does. In this case NHL Hockey. Must make the same three people who say the exact same things on every single thread feel great about themselves. Echo chamber living, have never understood the appeal.

It’s one of your 1st post in here, and I kinda took that in disrespect… For people that knows me around here, I always try to help. Always post in a respective manner. And always trying to make people see what I see in this game, the many positives… I worked on DMen and a roster made towards making them play more like their NHL counterparts… Did multiples hours/days/weeks of testing to get the most out of this game… I worked hard for the love of the game…. And bring this to the community. I could have done all this and kept it to myself, but no… So yeah, besides complaining, what have you done ?

If I give hints that when people tell me "yeah but you have to play a certain way" to enjoy the game…. That certain way is not like 95% of what is played everywhere right now, that certain way, is much more like playing REAL HOCKEY…

The thing is the game is bugged. You have to mess with the sliders in order for it to even come close to simulating real Hockey. Kudos to those that post their findings for the enjoyment of others. Telling me I have to play at a certain camera angle with my position locked in order to fully enjoy the game is ludicrous. So you are saying I need to play Be A Pro which is a whole other pile of EA madness and untouched again this year.

I never told anyone to play a certain way, I suggested it, a very big difference ! And people are free to play however they want, lol !

And the last part of that phrase led me to believe that you don’t play much…. What is Player Lock have to do with BAP ?? I probably played Player Lock for about 6 years now and never even touched BAP !!!

The AI, oh my god the AI. How many times a game does yours or the computers D-man circle back around failing to pass on a d-zone breakout only to be pinned on the boards? More than Jen Psaki at her daily WH press brief. 5, 10, 15 plus times a game. Well that isn't what I watch most nights when I watch a real game. Or how often does your AI opponent actually cycle the puck in normal play? Or lord forbid on a power play? It literally never does. But then I might ask how often does the AI just steam roll right to the slot no matter the traffic and try a zero chance shot? Nearly the whole game. If I want the game statistics, most importantly opponents shots, to look anywhere near normal I have to allow the opponent to shoot. Because of the above AI tactic of beeline straight to the slot on every ozone entry only to run into multiple defenders or have it poke checked away.

Everything thing you said above, I don’t see it in my games… I can post gameplay videos all day long, but I think it will be just a waste of time right now…

Have you tried altering strategies ? To have effective dump and chase ? Have you adjusted the pass/shoot sliders for lines, so that AI in the ozone passes the puck more realistically instead of putting their heads down shooting for the slot ?

I play as a LW Player Lock, and never ever see my DMEN do that turn back in the zone that you are talking about ?? It could happen once in awhile if the zone is clogged up, but on very rare occasions… Last night had 2 back to back powerplays, one on my side and one on the other, and we spent half the time cycling the puck in the zone…

You have to let the opponent shoot to have realistic stats ??? I pride myself on my D side and again last night, the Bruins took 38 shots on goal and I was doing the best I can not to let them…. Maybe I’m bad, I don’t know 🤔 Not the norm, but yeah….

I use Alito's slider set with some minor adjustments. But the game limits what we can adjust with sliders and then does a poor job of explaining what each does. Not sure if anyone follows Tougie on youtube but that lack of real understanding lead to his Rosters being released last year to a lot of WTF's

Yeah, understanding sliders in this game takes a master's degree in Slidertown, I agree. But in all the years I’ve done it, I started to get a grasp on what some do and what some don’t…. It takes lots of patience and testing, trust me.

Kind of the response I expected out of you, and your crew. Have been lurking for years and signed up a couple years ago. Make of that what you will as you have done above. Congrats.

I could get several other YT videos from the last 3 years that say similar things and are not affiliated. So your argument against that is weak as well. Pattern developing I see.

I don’t know why you are being disrespectful towards me again ? And my crew ?? What is my pattern exactly ? Yes I don’t really give most of the guys on YT any kind of credibility when I see how they play the game… Heck, even check how they play on EA's big tournaments to see who’s the "best" in the world !! I can only watch 2 minutes because it hurts my eyes, my soul !!! But to each their own I guess… Like I say it’s fine by me if anyone likes that game they call hockey 🤢

I mean no disrespect at all and I apologize if I have offended. I am just wanting the absolute best game we all can get !

And what’s your plan to make this happen ? Apparently it’s been all doom and gloom in EAs forum for the past 10-15 years… Has it changed anything ? Does the bitching and complaining achieved something ??

In many threads, I felt for the people that had issues with Franchise, I felt For the people when they took away full presentation, and when they removed True Broadcast Camera… It made no sense to me even if I mostly never use it…. It would be like buying a car and the dealer comes to your house one month later and remove your back seats… Well you know, we remove your back seats because not allot of people use them, soooooo…. I’m still baffled by this one TBH…

If you really dislike a product, just move on and play something else… Don’t give them your money and that’s it… Case closed !

But all that being said, I’m having a blast playing the game "my way" (sorry if that offends you) and paid full price and I don’t regret it one bit…

[tariq071]

Re: Any issues that make Franchise Mode Unplayable?

If you really dislike a product, just move on and play something else… Don’t give them your money and that’s it… Case closed !

Ok , can you please stop telling people to go away , if they don't agree with your view. It's harassment and as this is an open forum they are free to state their opinion about something that you don't even play, as long it's in respectful way.

You like it , great for you, we are happy , then why aren't you playing it , instead answering on every single post in this forum?

On the other note , game will not improve. Why ? Because if you look at EA's track record they will never do anything that doesn't bring them immediate and direct profit.

The only solution is if they get competition. NBA live , MLB and other EA sports games that got competition failed and disappeared.Also , they can allow people to edit AI like some other games do.

Why NBA Live failed? Because they never made any effort to improve it. Look at NBA 2K ,it's far from perfect, but they have people that work on AI every year and they post videos about how sliders work..And they are also monetizing it to ridiculously. So you can do both things.

Only EA sport games still heavily rely on cheating AI and not on improvements in gameplay (Maden , NHL) And as such they are both pure garbage , specially this year.

[PernellKarl076]

Re: Any issues that make Franchise Mode Unplayable?

Ok , can you please stop telling people to go away , if they don't agree with your view. It's harassment and as this is an open forum they are free to state their opinion about something that you don't even play, as long it's in respectful way.

You like it , great for you, we are happy , then why aren't you playing it , instead answering on every single post in this forum?.

Sigh ! Another keyboard warrior ! When did I told him "to go away" ??? Or telling "people" to go away ??? LOL !!! I even said people are allowed to vent and play the game as they want…. STOP playing with words…. I told him "if he’s not happy with a product, he's not FORCED to play it"… Completely different things…

Now I harass people, lmao !!!

Only EA sport games still heavily rely on cheating AI and not on improvements in gameplay (Maden , NHL) And as such they are both pure garbage , specially this year.

You don’t see gameplay/AI improvements…. I see tons…. To each their own….

I’m sorry to all the people I’ve offended and apparently disturbed with my views on the game…. I’m done here !!

[tariq071]

Re: Any issues that make Franchise Mode Unplayable?

Sigh ! Another keyboard warrior ! When did I told him "to go away" ??? Or telling "people" to go away ??? LOL !!! I even said people are allowed to vent and play the game as they want…. STOP playing with words…. I told him "if he’s not happy with a product, he's not FORCED to play it"… Completely different things…

Now I harass people, lmao !!!

I am very , very happy for you , honestly. Again, please stop with passive aggressive if you don't agree with other's views.

Some people come here to see if there was a some patch, or solution, that makes game more palatable for their standards (no one expects perfect game, btw)

It doesn't mean that either side is right or wrong, after all it's an opinion forum. And lot of us love hockey so much that they hope(probably hopelessly) to see something in line with NHL 04 or NHL 2k10 that would give them joy.

Saying that i am done with this topic, so let's move on and play games that we perceive are good for our time....have a nice weekend.

[JBlaze78]

Re: Any issues that make Franchise Mode Unplayable?

It’s one of your 1st post in here, and I kinda took that in disrespect… For people that knows me around here, I always try to help. Always post in a respective manner. And always trying to make people see what I see in this game, the many positives… I worked on DMen and a roster made towards making them play more like their NHL counterparts… Did multiples hours/days/weeks of testing to get the most out of this game… I worked hard for the love of the game…. And bring this to the community. I could have done all this and kept it to myself, but no… So yeah, besides complaining, what have you done ?

If I give hints that when people tell me "yeah but you have to play a certain way" to enjoy the game…. That certain way is not like 95% of what is played everywhere right now, that certain way, is much more like playing REAL HOCKEY…





I never told anyone to play a certain way, I suggested it, a very big difference ! And people are free to play however they want, lol !

And the last part of that phrase led me to believe that you don’t play much…. What is Player Lock have to do with BAP ?? I probably played Player Lock for about 6 years now and never even touched BAP !!!




Everything thing you said above, I don’t see it in my games… I can post gameplay videos all day long, but I think it will be just a waste of time right now…

Have you tried altering strategies ? To have effective dump and chase ? Have you adjusted the pass/shoot sliders for lines, so that AI in the ozone passes the puck more realistically instead of putting their heads down shooting for the slot ?

I play as a LW Player Lock, and never ever see my DMEN do that turn back in the zone that you are talking about ?? It could happen once in awhile if the zone is clogged up, but on very rare occasions… Last night had 2 back to back powerplays, one on my side and one on the other, and we spent half the time cycling the puck in the zone…

You have to let the opponent shoot to have realistic stats ??? I pride myself on my D side and again last night, the Bruins took 38 shots on goal and I was doing the best I can not to let them…. Maybe I’m bad, I don’t know �� Not the norm, but yeah….





Yeah, understanding sliders in this game takes a master's degree in Slidertown, I agree. But in all the years I’ve done it, I started to get a grasp on what some do and what some don’t…. It takes lots of patience and testing, trust me.





I don’t know why you are being disrespectful towards me again ? And my crew ?? What is my pattern exactly ? Yes I don’t really give most of the guys on YT any kind of credibility when I see how they play the game… Heck, even check how they play on EA's big tournaments to see who’s the "best" in the world !! I can only watch 2 minutes because it hurts my eyes, my soul !!! But to each their own I guess… Like I say it’s fine by me if anyone likes that game they call hockey ��





And what’s your plan to make this happen ? Apparently it’s been all doom and gloom in EAs forum for the past 10-15 years… Has it changed anything ? Does the bitching and complaining achieved something ??

In many threads, I felt for the people that had issues with Franchise, I felt For the people when they took away full presentation, and when they removed True Broadcast Camera… It made no sense to me even if I mostly never use it…. It would be like buying a car and the dealer comes to your house one month later and remove your back seats… Well you know, we remove your back seats because not allot of people use them, soooooo…. I’m still baffled by this one TBH…

If you really dislike a product, just move on and play something else… Don’t give them your money and that’s it… Case closed !

But all that being said, I’m having a blast playing the game "my way" (sorry if that offends you) and paid full price and I don’t regret it one bit…

Passive aggressive much. I am guessing you are really wanting your ego stroked for the slider set you made. As you post about it constantly. Congrats to you. But if you took your ball and went home how many people would really notice? Or how many would try someone else's sliders, or hell maybe edit them themselves. What have you done really? Other than constantly ask for validation? And by you making a slider set gives you power to talk down to people? Or does that power come to you because of post count? Dont get me wrong I appreciate you making something for the public, like I have said multiple times. But it does not make your opinion the right one nor the only one. And by your crew I just noticed in a few recent posts where you were also talking about your sliders being the solution and when someone disagreed, you and couple others dunk on them for not playing like you do so not truly getting it. Maybe that isnt who you are, but its the perception I got when I came back to the forum to check on sliders like I do yearly. So you are right in the fact that I am not here as much thus may not have as much vested interest in this forum. But make no mistake this forum is but a small percentage of actual players of the game. My limited participation in it does not or at least should not diminish my opinion of the topic at hand. Given I also have years upon years of experience with both this particular game but also the company that makes multiple arcade versions of a sports games.

As for the BAP being similar to player lock because you ARE LOCKED AS A POSITION, just like with BAP being LOCKED WITH A SINGLE PLAYER playing ONE POSITION. See the similarities?

Honestly what is the point of continuing this with you Pernell, as you are not even on freaking THREAD TOPIC. Glad the poster got his refund because he was looking for exactly what I and other FRANCHISE mode players are looking for, DEPTH to the MODE. Not glossy graphics. To each their own right. Enjoy your fantastic flawless game, while others like myself wait for a truly great game that is more than just fancy graphics. Though I am not holding my breathe that it will ever change. That is until EA can monetize Franchise or BAP modes.

[PernellKarl076]

Re: Any issues that make Franchise Mode Unplayable?

JBlaze, I don’t know why I’m wasting time with all you said, but be honest and answer these questions to me by True or False… Cool ?

Because you came on this thread and in this forum with a clear agenda…. And apparently you had a bone with me ? You again made downgrading comments to myself and the things I’ve done, while I never did that to you… Maybe because I’m too positive about the game and that rubs you the wrong way ? You like your doom and gloom at breakfast in the morning ?

True or False

1. In your first post here you started pointing fingers at me ?
2. You clearly talked about the AI ?
3. You clearly talked about Gameplay ?
4. I clearly said that I’ll take your words for Franchise Stuff and I felt for people that are having problems with ?
5. You stated that I was OFF topic, when I answered about the AI and Gameplay parts you talked about… Not Franchise ?
6. In your very next post, you said something about it bugged you that I was OFF TOPIC and you clearly talked about AI and Gameplay AGAIN ?

Anyway, like I said be honest by answering these questions…. And I will never post in this thread again…. Will probably never post in this section again either.

If you took offense when all I tried was making people that said the AI/Gameplay sucked, to make them see what I see…What can I do ?

This forum will become like EA's, where negativity is the norm and people go on a rampage against them… Good stuff 👍

[KomicJ]

Re: Any issues that make Franchise Mode Unplayable?

Sigh ! Another keyboard warrior ! When did I told him "to go away" ??? Or telling "people" to go away ??? LOL !!! I even said people are allowed to vent and play the game as they want…. STOP playing with words…. I told him "if he’s not happy with a product, he's not FORCED to play it"… Completely different things…

Now I harass people, lmao !!!

You don’t see gameplay/AI improvements…. I see tons…. To each their own….

I’m sorry to all the people I’ve offended and apparently disturbed with my views on the game…. I’m done here !!

It's not that you harass, offend or disturb people, PK. It's just that you seem to feel the need to call out / go against everyone who does not share your views on the game. Like you said, it's okay for people to vent, or point out things that aren't to their liking. They should be able to do it without having someone telling them how wrong they are, everytime...that's all.


To be honest, I'm a bit jealous (I think we all are) of your enthusiasm for the game. Believe me, I'd rather be on your side of things...seems like a much more pleasant experience !

[JBlaze78]

Re: Any issues that make Franchise Mode Unplayable?

It's not that you harass, offend or disturb people, PK. It's just that you seem to feel the need to call out / go against everyone who does not share your views on the game. Like you said, it's okay for people to vent, or point out things that aren't to their liking. They should be able to do it without having someone telling them how wrong they are, everytime...that's all.


To be honest, I'm a bit jealous (I think we all are) of your enthusiasm for the game. Believe me, I'd rather be on your side of things...seems like a much more pleasant experience !

Totally agree, wish I had the enthusiasm or was getting the pure enjoyment some are. I am truly happy they are. Maybe I ask too much from the game, though if they would just give back what they have taken away in the last 8 plus years from Franchise/BAP/Presentation I would be happy. Big ask I know.

JBlaze, I don’t know why I’m wasting time with all you said, but be honest and answer these questions to me by True or False… Cool ?

Because you came on this thread and in this forum with a clear agenda…. And apparently you had a bone with me ? You again made downgrading comments to myself and the things I’ve done, while I never did that to you… Maybe because I’m too positive about the game and that rubs you the wrong way ? You like your doom and gloom at breakfast in the morning ?

True or False

1. In your first post here you started pointing fingers at me ?
2. You clearly talked about the AI ?
3. You clearly talked about Gameplay ?
4. I clearly said that I’ll take your words for Franchise Stuff and I felt for people that are having problems with ?
5. You stated that I was OFF topic, when I answered about the AI and Gameplay parts you talked about… Not Franchise ?
6. In your very next post, you said something about it bugged you that I was OFF TOPIC and you clearly talked about AI and Gameplay AGAIN ?

Anyway, like I said be honest by answering these questions…. And I will never post in this thread again…. Will probably never post in this section again either.

If you took offense when all I tried was making people that said the AI/Gameplay sucked, to make them see what I see…What can I do ?

This forum will become like EA's, where negativity is the norm and people go on a rampage against them… Good stuff 👍

Dude you just cant help with the passive aggressive can you?

Agenda? I guess having an opinion counter to yours qualifies as an agenda. Narcissistic much?!? Nope no agenda, just calling a spade a spade. I too have years of experience with this game, just like you and many others here, with that I too have an opinion. Which should and would be valid in any forum of note that didnt have folks like yourself who completely ignore the bugs or the missing features because you like shiny things. Cool we get it. Some of us like substance. Again to each their own.

AND I WILL CIRCLE BACK FOR THOSE IN THE BACK, The OP asked specifically about franchise mode and anything that would make it unplayable. Given that was the premise, combined with my knowledge of what is in franchise mode, what was in franchise mode, what most people are wanting out of franchise mode I felt it was kind of in my wheel house. Now if he had mentioned SLIDERS or GAMEPLAY then you sir would be indeed the one to talk to.

I will take a hard pass on the question list. Again not understanding the desire to control.

No need to avoid a forum because you have a disagreement, that is what forums are for. Maybe I was a bit harsh in my criticism of the game, I dont think so. Did I not highlight the few things that are indeed better than 22? No I didnt because that is not what the OP asked for. Hell I could have lied and just said crossplay is amazing, the diving animations are realistic and impactful, that the pre game presentation blows away NHL 14 or NHL2k10. It was only for 6 teams at release!!!! The animations are alright but almost makes me think scripted gameplay. Crossplay has just barely launched and is mostly for the HUT crowd lets be honest. Because if the game was fair to all game modes we would have had GM Connected years ago!

That all said I wish you all the best, I know your heart is in the right place. You love the game and I think we both want a better game overall. And truly I wish I was having as much fun as you are. Which is not to say I am not having fun, just not as much as you. I apologize for any offense I may have given. I know I can come in hot and my opinions can come off a bit coarse. For that I again apologize. Keep on enjoying the game and I will go back to NHL 20 for BAP and NHL 22 for Franchise. Happy Holidays!

[PernellKarl076]

Re: Any issues that make Franchise Mode Unplayable?

Dude you just cant help with the passive aggressive can you?

Agenda? I guess having an opinion counter to yours qualifies as an agenda. Narcissistic much?!? Nope no agenda, just calling a spade a spade.

Thank you my man ! I’ve never been called names in my life and tonight I get the total package, all on Thanksgiving!!! All of a sudden I’m the devil ? I’m a passive aggressive, an harasser and a narcissist 😳

You clearly are a MASTER at this, I have no answer…. I’m lost 😞 In my everyday life, people always tell me how kind I am, how respectful I am and how I’m always there to help people out… That’s all I wanted to do here, just by making people see what I’m seeing in this game… Gameplay wise especially. Sometimes I might sound a bit pushy, but it was all for a good cause.. I thought 🤔

….folks like yourself who completely ignore the bugs or the missing features because you like shiny things. Cool we get it. Some of us like substance. Again to each their own.

For me the main substance of a hockey game is HOCKEY… Gameplay for me is the MOST important thing, that's MY substance. Don’t know why you always talk about "shiny things" ?.? Gameplay should always be the TOP PRIORITY in any sports game IMO…

Some have a fit when a player in the game is 1 inch shorter or weighs 5 pounds less… Yeah, not my cup of tea… If Cole Caufield looks like Cole Caufield when he plays, that he’s about 5'6'', I’m good to go… On top of this, his face is there, cool !

I will take a hard pass on the question list. Again not understanding the desire to control.

Yeah I figured you wouldn’t answer, it would have taken you 20 seconds…

And after all the names you called me, the things you implied about what kind of person I am, that I like my ego being stroked, that If I went away no one would care, you have the nerve to wish me a happy holiday !!! Cool, Thanks !

Like I said, you are a master at this… Congrats, you have succeeded 👍 I’m truly considering leaving this place and forget all the countless hours of testing, video editing, roster testing, slider testing, Tuner testing, and all the things I’ve tried to do for the love of this community and the love of the game….

Peace !

[phillyfan23]

Re: Any issues that make Franchise Mode Unplayable?

Love how all the people that have found their niche way of making this game playable dunk on all the people that dislike the game for what it TRULY is and want to pay for a product that simulates what it says it does. In this case NHL Hockey. Must make the same three people who say the exact same things on every single thread feel great about themselves. Echo chamber living, have never understood the appeal.

The thing is the game is bugged. You have to mess with the sliders in order for it to even come close to simulating real Hockey. Kudos to those that post their findings for the enjoyment of others. Telling me I have to play at a certain camera angle with my position locked in order to fully enjoy the game is ludicrous. So you are saying I need to play Be A Pro which is a whole other pile of EA madness and untouched again this year.

They finally fixed the offer sheet bug that was also present in NHL 22.

They HAVENT fixed the created player skater glitch that was ALSO present in NHL 22.

The AI will still trade for restricted Free Agents and then not resign them the next year. Leaving good young players rotting in restricted Free agency. Even though if the trade circumstances the game will not allow us to trade for anyone that will put us over the cap the next year or allow us to trade players to another team that will result in that team being over the cap next season.

Young players having cages as 15-16 yo never transitioning to a visored helmet.

The AI, oh my god the AI. How many times a game does yours or the computers D-man circle back around failing to pass on a d-zone breakout only to be pinned on the boards? More than Jen Psaki at her daily WH press brief. 5, 10, 15 plus times a game. Well that isn't what I watch most nights when I watch a real game. Or how often does your AI opponent actually cycle the puck in normal play? Or lord forbid on a power play? It literally never does. But then I might ask how often does the AI just steam roll right to the slot no matter the traffic and try a zero chance shot? Nearly the whole game. If I want the game statistics, most importantly opponents shots, to look anywhere near normal I have to allow the opponent to shoot. Because of the above AI tactic of beeline straight to the slot on every ozone entry only to run into multiple defenders or have it poke checked away.

I use Alito's slider set with some minor adjustments. But the game limits what we can adjust with sliders and then does a poor job of explaining what each does. Not sure if anyone follows Tougie on youtube but that lack of real understanding lead to his Rosters being released last year to a lot of WTF's.

Lets face facts there have been very few improvements to Franchise since 14, graphics aside. With many notable things removed. Intros are a SHADOW of what they were, if you doubt it just go to you tube and do a quick search. Reddit is also great for it. When is the last time EA had proper faceoffs, where one or both players could be booted out? Did they ever have it or am I dreaming of the best NHL game ever 2k10. No contract changes ie NTC. No dead cap or injured reserve. Removing our ability to edit players in an OFFLINE mode, first it was player style removed in 21, then it was position. Again its an offline mode who cares if I want to change a defender into winger *cough* Blake Burns *cough* The fact height and weight are still greyed out is crazy to me. What I loved about old 2k games was the editing ability. The speed, the QOL and the amount of things I could edit was truly awesome not to mention the speed in which I could edit players. Not sure why EA and others that dunk on the idea of giving us more editing capabilities in an offline mode makes me wonder about their personal control issues. Introduction of Coaches and Line Chemistry that is all over the map while failing to have any ability for players or coaches to adapt to their surroundings. I cant tell you how many times have I started a franchise as Edmonton and the coach is only 50/50 on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. You are kidding me right? Name me a coach that wouldnt want McDavid on his team or at very least couldnt find a way to make that work. And wtf dont we have real coaches? EA that cheap? <--Rhetorical question.

Has anyone noticed that controls sticking on menus is getting worse? When loading the game I have to hit x twice just to initiate the game. Or when flipping through or scrolling through menus? Sticking and slow.

To those that are enjoying the game, truly good for you. For those that still say this game leaves a lot to be desired, you too are right and free to express that as I have above. Its not a full list, is unorganized and doesnt begin to fully express my thoughts on the game, franchise or company. I have been BUYING games since the early 90's. To say this is the best in gaming is just sad. Its clear that EA no longer employs people with a passion for the sport they are creating a game to emulate. And in some cases begs the question of whether they even watch the sport they are creating a game to emulate....

to the guys saying the gameplay is horrible without any slider adjustments, strategy adjustments, player edits.

I completely agree with you all. The game is not worth 5 dollars. gamespeed too fast, every single player even the midgets like cole caufield can hit like Eric Lindros and send huge players a la Chara flying, shots are overpowered, teams play the same way, passing too accurate, not enough penalties, powerplay set up is non existent,cpu offense doesnt cycle, dmen dont shoot enough etc on and on and so forth.

but thats what sliders and strategy adjustments come in. Even One hour of slider testing and editing, CHANGES this game offline. I understand Franchise is semi broken,I dont play franchise at all, so it doesnt affect me, but gameplay with some adjustments is unparalleled. All of the points the previous posters said regarding bad gameplay are EASILY fixable.

CPU takes bad shots and attack only via the slots? change their strategy to more cycling, download Defenseman edited rosters, so you get a lot more point play.
CPU doesnt forecheck properly? change strategies for the teams that forecheck hard
CPU doesnt set up on powerplay? check your gamespeed, anything above 0 is too fast and will make Powerplays helter skelter. With proper speeds, powerplays from cpu, will look a lot like the real NHL.

If franchise has many bugs to kill the experience of people, try season mode with full team control, so you can manually edit strategies for all teams you play. Yes its not as deep as franchise, but the gameplay carries the weight here.

If you don't want to edit sliders, go to slider thread, get one you like as base and download rosters for dmen edits, . If you want more team differentiation, you can edit each team stratgieis including each line, powerplay, PK in the league to play differently.

The tools are all there, and they work and will give you a real NHL experience.
Frnahcise is a bonus. If franchise is perfect but the gameplay is lacking, it's still not worthwhile.

NHL 23 has the offline part down to a tee, and no I do not play player lock. Just invest just a little bit of time, it is well worth it for gameplay sake.

[phillyfan23]

Re: Any issues that make Franchise Mode Unplayable?

I am very , very happy for you , honestly. Again, please stop with passive aggressive if you don't agree with other's views.

Some people come here to see if there was a some patch, or solution, that makes game more palatable for their standards (no one expects perfect game, btw)

It doesn't mean that either side is right or wrong, after all it's an opinion forum. And lot of us love hockey so much that they hope(probably hopelessly) to see something in line with NHL 04 or NHL 2k10 that would give them joy.

Saying that i am done with this topic, so let's move on and play games that we perceive are good for our time....have a nice weekend.

NHL 2k10 was a great game save one game killing gameplay bug. CPU DMEN ai never brought the puck into the opponentz zone. They will never lead a rush, they will never join a 3 on 2, they will ALWAYS pass the puck to teammate at the red line or just before entering the opponents blue line. You could have Bobby Orr on the ice against a WHL team, and he would always pass the puck off.

I remember 2k10 had a great and robust franchise mode, but with this type of gameplay oversight, I completely shelved the game once I realized of the broken cpu off ai dmen. There is no such gameplay crippling things in NHL 23 that cannot be fixed via sliders, strat adjustments, rosters.

[BigBadAss33]

Re: Any issues that make Franchise Mode Unplayable?

WOW...

Everyone has their own opinions about EVERYTHING nowadays but WE all must relax and RE-READ our posts before we hit send..

EVERYONE on both sides of this "ARGUMENT" makes it sound like this political garbage happening in todays society.

Lets keep in mind a few things before posting

1. This is an OPEN forum. So you have to take the GOOD with the BAD.
2. People can READ responses completely different than actually how they were meant. (Passive aggressive dig or key-board Warrior comment are 1 in the same)
3. WE all know that EA has forgotten about hockey in general and only cares about MICRO-TRANSACTIONS.

Anyway please lets all take a breath and relax a little and RE-READ your posts before you hit send

[Fishbone Walker]

Re: Any issues that make Franchise Mode Unplayable?

Franchise mode is unplayable for me because you can't turn off "retired jerseys" and you can't control more than one team. It may seem petty, but I honestly can't handle Gretzky being #98 and Lemieux being #64. Can you imagine if Gretzky showed up at an alumni game and the organizers were like, "oh, wait, hold on a minute there, Wayne. You can't wear that jersey, it was retired by the league" lol

And you can't edit the league in season mode, so that's bunk too.

I will say though, the gameplay improvements seem to shine with teammate AI - they just seem more intuitive and actually try to get open on occasion. I went back to '22 the other day and noticed the difference. In '23, offense is way more fun to play.

[Funkycorm]

Re: Any issues that make Franchise Mode Unplayable?

I don't have 23 so I can't speak to all of the back and forth above but I see some weaknesses in franchise that have steered me away from the game the last few years.

I think we need the ability to be able to edit player ratings in franchise. If I want to create a story line of a superstar past his prime getting another shot somewhere, it would require editing ratings to get him on a team and stay. Hand in hand with this, is we need the ability to have full control of all teams. And along the lines of 2k23, be able to easily switch what I can control, etc.

I really do like the depth to the scouting system in NHL and would like to see a game like MLB adopt a better scouting system. The depth here really shows the lack of depth in other areas of franchise, like being able to control everything.

Also, I would like the see the ability to force win, loss, shoot out loss as well.

Without the ability to control everything in a game I play, franchise mode is not enjoyable for me. NBA, MLB, and Madden I can control all teams or at least teams I want to. Give me that here.