Well, the time has finally come! Due in part to logging a lot of time in the EASHL and not being satisfied with the offline play, I never found a sweet spot for offline sliders. With the patch cleaning up some of the issues I had with the game, I think I'm there. I've been using settings close to these for a while now, so I only made a few small tweaks after the handful of games I played today with the patch.
DIFFICULTY: All-Star (sorry superstars, I can't hack it up there...)
PERIOD LENGTH: 10 Minutes
PENALTIES: Three clicks (one below max)
Changed penalty setting from original post. There were far too many calls at max, but it seems that it can be on the low side with it @ 3. But I think it's better to have 7 or 8 combined PPs than 15...
GAME SPEED: 0
PUCK CONTROL: 1
FIGHT DIFFICULTY: 3
FATIGUE EFFECT: 6
AI LEARNING: 6
I like the pace/flow of SPD/ACC at 0/1 and the maxed out fatigue effect punishes you for leaving guys on the ice. Puck control at 1 makes for some sloppy play and probably helps to keep it a bit more realistic in terms of who can do what with the puck.
FATIGUE RECOVERY: 1
ACCELERATION: 1
Again, ACC @ 1 provides a nice flow to the game (for me). You have to be a little smarter with your angles to puck since you can't turn on a dime. I feel this also cuts down on some of the goofy stuff the AI can do. I've been getting great TOI numbers and distribution with FR @ 1. Big-time d-men will play 25+ mins for the CPU while top forwards will often crack the 20 min mark. For the user this really helps with special teams, but the only drawback is that you could probably play your top lines a little too much if you're smart with your changes. I get good TOI numbers, but I try to roll my lines as a real coach would...
HITTING POWER: 0
AGGRESSION: 3
POKE EFFECTIVENESS: 5
The patch sure seems to have made the AI (on both sides) more puck-aware, so I don't see the need to have aggressiveness jacked up. I'm seeing a good blend of positional play and puck-chasing when appropriate. Poke @ 5 seems to balance well with PC @ 1, plus I still think it helps to generate some tripping calls. Hit power is a no-brainer for me...
PASS SPEED: 1
SAUCER PASS SPEED: 4
PASS INTERCEPTIONS: 6
GOALIE PASSING: 6
Pass Speed @ 1 provides a nice balance. The AI can't whip the puck around quite as fast, but the you can get the puck across the ice without waiting an eternity (my experience with it @ 0). I don't use the saucer pass nearly as much as I did in 08, but will occasionally use it to move it around the boards. I highly recommend using the manual slap-pass technique to move the puck into space or for bank-passing. Goalie Passing @ 6 seems to make the goalies come out to play the puck more, but I've also edited a lot of the goalies puck playing frequency. FWIW, Mkharsh has tried these out and said he noticed the same thing. I'm assuming he didn't edit...
SHOT ACCURACY: 3
SHOT POWER: 3
Here's where I made a change after the patch, dropping ACC to 3 from 4. I've had the following scores -- 3-1, 5-2, 4-3 (SO) and 2-1 (OT). Even before the patch I was starting to see some high-scoring games (for myself & the CPU) with ACC @ 4. I'll monitor my GF/A over the course of 10 dynasty games and take it from there...
SHOT BLOCKING: 6
HOOK EFFECTIVENESS: 6
PENALTY SHOT FREQUENCY: 6
GOALIE COVER: 4
Defense, defense, defense! I love me some good defensive hockey, so all of these are aimed at tightening up that side of the game. I know Redshirt said Hook Effectiveness has no effect, but I see more pinning along the boards and have a harder time carrying the puck with it maxed. I had it at four prior to patch under the theory that it caused the AI to do the annoying machine gun cross checking in front of the net (Catcatch's idea), but that seems to be toned down post-patch. PS Freq hasn't yielded many calls in all my offline games, but I haven't seen many times it should be called. There's also the theory that it causes the AI d-men to play higher up in the NZ. If true, that would be another reason to have it maxed, as they still tend to back off a bit more than they do in the real NHL. Goalie Cover @ 4 seems to cut down on floaty rebounds the goalie can't corral, but I still see plenty of nice kick-outs on low shots and some rebound goals.
I've had several good games today with these exact settings. I've lost all of them, but they were fun, competitive and I didn't feel cheated. I gave up a few fluky goals, made a few dumb mistakes (damn passing engine) and haven't capitalized on some good chances. I'm not the best player out there and I played on All-Star throughout my dynasty on 08, so some may not find these challenging enough. If that's the case, try them on Superstar -- but I haven't, so I won't be much help in terms of questions regarding what to change for that level.
I'll likely start a test dynasty to track some stats over 10 or so games before starting a "real" one after cleaning up the rosters. I'll let you guys know how things pan out...
DIFFICULTY: All-Star (sorry superstars, I can't hack it up there...)
PERIOD LENGTH: 10 Minutes
PENALTIES: Three clicks (one below max)
Changed penalty setting from original post. There were far too many calls at max, but it seems that it can be on the low side with it @ 3. But I think it's better to have 7 or 8 combined PPs than 15...
GAME SPEED: 0
PUCK CONTROL: 1
FIGHT DIFFICULTY: 3
FATIGUE EFFECT: 6
AI LEARNING: 6
I like the pace/flow of SPD/ACC at 0/1 and the maxed out fatigue effect punishes you for leaving guys on the ice. Puck control at 1 makes for some sloppy play and probably helps to keep it a bit more realistic in terms of who can do what with the puck.
FATIGUE RECOVERY: 1
ACCELERATION: 1
Again, ACC @ 1 provides a nice flow to the game (for me). You have to be a little smarter with your angles to puck since you can't turn on a dime. I feel this also cuts down on some of the goofy stuff the AI can do. I've been getting great TOI numbers and distribution with FR @ 1. Big-time d-men will play 25+ mins for the CPU while top forwards will often crack the 20 min mark. For the user this really helps with special teams, but the only drawback is that you could probably play your top lines a little too much if you're smart with your changes. I get good TOI numbers, but I try to roll my lines as a real coach would...
HITTING POWER: 0
AGGRESSION: 3
POKE EFFECTIVENESS: 5
The patch sure seems to have made the AI (on both sides) more puck-aware, so I don't see the need to have aggressiveness jacked up. I'm seeing a good blend of positional play and puck-chasing when appropriate. Poke @ 5 seems to balance well with PC @ 1, plus I still think it helps to generate some tripping calls. Hit power is a no-brainer for me...
PASS SPEED: 1
SAUCER PASS SPEED: 4
PASS INTERCEPTIONS: 6
GOALIE PASSING: 6
Pass Speed @ 1 provides a nice balance. The AI can't whip the puck around quite as fast, but the you can get the puck across the ice without waiting an eternity (my experience with it @ 0). I don't use the saucer pass nearly as much as I did in 08, but will occasionally use it to move it around the boards. I highly recommend using the manual slap-pass technique to move the puck into space or for bank-passing. Goalie Passing @ 6 seems to make the goalies come out to play the puck more, but I've also edited a lot of the goalies puck playing frequency. FWIW, Mkharsh has tried these out and said he noticed the same thing. I'm assuming he didn't edit...
SHOT ACCURACY: 3
SHOT POWER: 3
Here's where I made a change after the patch, dropping ACC to 3 from 4. I've had the following scores -- 3-1, 5-2, 4-3 (SO) and 2-1 (OT). Even before the patch I was starting to see some high-scoring games (for myself & the CPU) with ACC @ 4. I'll monitor my GF/A over the course of 10 dynasty games and take it from there...
SHOT BLOCKING: 6
HOOK EFFECTIVENESS: 6
PENALTY SHOT FREQUENCY: 6
GOALIE COVER: 4
Defense, defense, defense! I love me some good defensive hockey, so all of these are aimed at tightening up that side of the game. I know Redshirt said Hook Effectiveness has no effect, but I see more pinning along the boards and have a harder time carrying the puck with it maxed. I had it at four prior to patch under the theory that it caused the AI to do the annoying machine gun cross checking in front of the net (Catcatch's idea), but that seems to be toned down post-patch. PS Freq hasn't yielded many calls in all my offline games, but I haven't seen many times it should be called. There's also the theory that it causes the AI d-men to play higher up in the NZ. If true, that would be another reason to have it maxed, as they still tend to back off a bit more than they do in the real NHL. Goalie Cover @ 4 seems to cut down on floaty rebounds the goalie can't corral, but I still see plenty of nice kick-outs on low shots and some rebound goals.
I've had several good games today with these exact settings. I've lost all of them, but they were fun, competitive and I didn't feel cheated. I gave up a few fluky goals, made a few dumb mistakes (damn passing engine) and haven't capitalized on some good chances. I'm not the best player out there and I played on All-Star throughout my dynasty on 08, so some may not find these challenging enough. If that's the case, try them on Superstar -- but I haven't, so I won't be much help in terms of questions regarding what to change for that level.
I'll likely start a test dynasty to track some stats over 10 or so games before starting a "real" one after cleaning up the rosters. I'll let you guys know how things pan out...
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