Getting extra XP boosts this year for EASHL = absurd?

[IBYCFOTA]

I came across this post on the EA forums of all the things needed to be done in order to get the extra attributes and gear. A lot of it is based on offline play which seems completely absurd and hopefully isn't the case. I like playing offline a fair amount but some of these are really tedious and overall it seems as if EA dropped the ball in this aspect. What's wrong with making players earn their attributes through online play? It makes no sense, especially how long some of these figure to take. It seems as if you either have to buy the gear / boosts with MS points or you have to spend a ton of time offline. What is EA thinking here, honestly?

Here's the list, btw.

Stick boost slots:
Wrist shot power: In playoff mode, win every game on default settings without losing once.
Wrist shot accuracy: Play 3 Be a Pro season and play at least 40 games in each season
Slap shot power: get all A grades in an EASHL game
Slap shot accuracy: average 2 points a game in a Be A Pro season, playing a minimum of 40 games
Faceoffs: get 70 points in one Be A Pro season

Skate boost slots:
Speed: get 200 goals with your EASHL team
Acceleration: average 1 goal a game in a Be A Pro season, playing at least 40 games
Agility: score 250 goals in season mode
Balance: win the Stanley Cup with a european team (you can substitute a Euro team in for an NHL team)
Aggressiveness: win 10 fights in BAP
Checking: get 200 hits in BAP
Endurance: average 1 offsides in one BAP season playing at least 40 games

Glove boost slots:
Passing: unlock the legend GM plaque in be a GM
Deking: win the Stanley Cup in your FIRST BAP season
Discipline: get 150 points in one season with your EASHL team
Toughness: unlock/purchase all aggressiveness boosts
Puck control: get 3 assists per game in 4 straight BAP games
Durability: average 1 turnover per game in a BAP season, playing at least 40 games
Deflections: win the Cup twice in BAP, playing at least 40 games, with the same career
Shot blocking: block 200 shots in EASHL

NOTE: all of these are for +5, the most (there are +1, +3, and +5). The +1 and +3 requirements have NOTHING to do with the +5 requirements. For example, for +1 shot blocking, you have to win the Calder Cup in battle for the cup mode

NOTE: all of these are ONLY for equipment with 3 boost slots. I'm not typing out the ones with only 1/2 slots.

Sticks:
Get all A's with a playmaker in one BAP game
Get all A's with a power forward in a BAP game
Get all A's with a tough guy in a BAP game
Get all A's with a dangler in a BAP game

Skates:
Get the legend plaque in Be a GM mode.
Get 200 hits in a BAP season
Win 10 fights in BAP
Get promoted to the first defensive pairing of your NHL team in BAP

Gloves:
Win against the CPU with the Montreal Centennials on all-star difficulty
Average 1 turnover per game in a BAP season, playing at least 40 games
Average 1 goal a game in a Be A Pro season, playing at least 40 games
In playoff mode, win every game on default settings without losing once.

Helmets:
Average 2 points a game in a Be A Pro season, playing a minimum of 40 games
Get 200 goals with your EASHL team
Play 3 Be a Pro season and play at least 40 games in each season
Get 70 points in one Be A Pro season

Defensive D-Man: play 40 games in 3 consecutive seasons and win the Norris
Offensive D-Man: win the Stanley Cup in Battle for the Cup with EVERY NHL team
Grinder: complete 4 BAP seasons, playing at least 40 games in each
Playmaker: play 40 games in 3 straight seasons and win the Lester B Pearson
Sniper: play 40 games in 3 straight seasons and be playoff MVP
Power forward: play 40 games in 3 straight seasons and win the Frank Selke
Dangler: play 40 games in 3 straight seasons and win the Hart
Tough guy: unlock the Legend card

[jyoung]

Re: Getting extra XP boosts this year for EASHL = absurd?

Considering all the hardest boosts give you +5 points for the given attribute, I'd hope the game would make you work hard to achieve such an advantage on the ice.

The +1 and +3 boosts are much easier to attain.

[RealmK]

Re: Getting extra XP boosts this year for EASHL = absurd?

Seriously.. You really need to earn those coveted +5 slots in various ways to keep it fresh. Why is this an issue again? Sure some of those will be challenging but once you get the unlock its something you can say "Yeah I earned that through hard work". I have no idea why this is an issue. Don't want to earn it? Well use some MS points I guess.

[jyoung]

Re: Getting extra XP boosts this year for EASHL = absurd?

The stuff you can buy for MS points is a totally different group of unlockables from the regular equipment boosts.

Regular equipment boosts are better because they don't take away your ability to assign experience points based on your player's card level (pro, legend, etc.).

If you use the boost packs, you forfeit the ability to add XP points via your player's card level.

[RealmK]

Re: Getting extra XP boosts this year for EASHL = absurd?

The stuff you can buy for MS points is a totally different group of unlockables from the regular equipment boosts.

Regular equipment boosts are better because they don't take away your ability to assign experience points based on your player's card level.

Thats right, I had totally forgotten that was the case. Still though, I'm all for having to earn the boost. Just gives me an extra incentive to play BAP offline and really work at it.

[Stranius]

Re: Getting extra XP boosts this year for EASHL = absurd?

The stuff you can buy for MS points is a totally different group of unlockables from the regular equipment boosts.

Regular equipment boosts are better because they don't take away your ability to assign experience points based on your player's card level (pro, legend, etc.).

If you use the boost packs, you forfeit the ability to add XP points via your player's card level.

Naah, you can buy those regular equipment boosts as well. Only the boost pack (240 MS Points) cannot be used with experience points.

Other than that you are correct

[bukn4sty]

Re: Getting extra XP boosts this year for EASHL = absurd?

There are two things I hate about this system:

1) I hate that the equipment and boosts have to be unlocked playing non-OTP games. Why should I have to play offline game modes to make my online player better?

2) Good players can be purchased.

[hrd12]

Re: Getting extra XP boosts this year for EASHL = absurd?

The stuff you can buy for MS points is a totally different group of unlockables from the regular equipment boosts.

Regular equipment boosts are better because they don't take away your ability to assign experience points based on your player's card level (pro, legend, etc.).

If you use the boost packs, you forfeit the ability to add XP points via your player's card level.

Do the boost packs include like a random stick, helmet, glove, and skate boost? So in the long run it will be better to earn your cards, and earn the equipment boosts?

[m-dogg]

Re: Getting extra XP boosts this year for EASHL = absurd?

it really is unbelievable that EA is trying to ruin the sports game of the year in this way, but anyway i have a question..

I don't play any modes offline except BAP, so at least there are some "challenges" I can do...but do these have to be done with default sliders and settings? what about people that like to make it as realistic and hard on themselves as possible so we dont go through the season leading in points by 50 over the next closest guy? they give us all these new sliders and customization for gameplay, but now I also have to get all these stupid callenges just so I can compete with knuckleheads online with +9 speed and +9 agility bonuses skating circles around everyone who didnt unlock or buy anything once again...

the card system was fine, I had no trouble unlocking legend (well a little trouble)...but some of these challenges that are for the attributes I care about for my online player are impossible for me so I guess I will ALWAYS be at a disadvantage online regardless (and no I am not paying for them). this better be one hell of an incredible game to put your fans through this mess...

[IBYCFOTA]

Re: Getting extra XP boosts this year for EASHL = absurd?

Seriously.. You really need to earn those coveted +5 slots in various ways to keep it fresh. Why is this an issue again? Sure some of those will be challenging but once you get the unlock its something you can say "Yeah I earned that through hard work". I have no idea why this is an issue. Don't want to earn it? Well use some MS points I guess.

Because a lot of players play the game solely for online play. Why do they need to spend a significant amount of time doing things in offline modes they normally wouldn't play to get advantages in online play? It doesn't make any sense.

It has nothing to do with not wanting to earn it, it has to do with how it's being earned. What was wrong with last year where you had to earn your attributes online? Keep the offline and online aspects seperated.

[RealmK]

Re: Getting extra XP boosts this year for EASHL = absurd?

it really is unbelievable that EA is trying to ruin the sports game of the year in this way, but anyway i have a question..

I don't play any modes offline except BAP, so at least there are some "challenges" I can do...but do these have to be done with default sliders and settings? what about people that like to make it as realistic and hard on themselves as possible so we dont go through the season leading in points by 50 over the next closest guy? they give us all these new sliders and customization for gameplay, but now I also have to get all these stupid callenges just so I can compete with knuckleheads online with +9 speed and +9 agility bonuses skating circles around everyone who didnt unlock or buy anything once again...

the card system was fine, I had no trouble unlocking legend (well a little trouble)...but some of these challenges that are for the attributes I care about for my online player are impossible for me so I guess I will ALWAYS be at a disadvantage online regardless (and no I am not paying for them). this better be one hell of an incredible game to put your fans through this mess...

I'm pretty sure the only one you need to do on default is the playoff mode one for the Stick Wrist Shot power since thats the only one that specifies default sliders. It would be fairly silly to force default settings on all of them. Especially the ones involving playing alot of BAP games over multiple seasons.

[kerosene31]

Re: Getting extra XP boosts this year for EASHL = absurd?

It has nothing to do with not wanting to earn it, it has to do with how it's being earned. What was wrong with last year where you had to earn your attributes online? Keep the offline and online aspects seperated.

Exactly. One example they gave in a blog post was having to play as every team in the Finnish league against an NHL team. No offense to any Finnish league fans, but I have absolutely no desire to play this way. I simply don't have the time.

When I first got Tiger 10, I spend an entire week of gaming just to unlock stuff. I turned down the difficulty level so I could breeze through it. I HAD to play the game THEIR way. It looks like NHL will be similar.

[RealmK]

Re: Getting extra XP boosts this year for EASHL = absurd?

Exactly. One example they gave in a blog post was having to play as every team in the Finnish league against an NHL team. No offense to any Finnish league fans, but I have absolutely no desire to play this way. I simply don't have the time.

When I first got Tiger 10, I spend an entire week of gaming just to unlock stuff. I turned down the difficulty level so I could breeze through it. I HAD to play the game THEIR way. It looks like NHL will be similar.

I though you cancelled your preorder for 2k10 anyway.

[kerosene31]

Re: Getting extra XP boosts this year for EASHL = absurd?

I though you cancelled your preorder for 2k10 anyway.

No, actually I only pre-ordered NHL10 this year. First time I haven't gotten both games on day 1 since 07. (I still may check out 2k eventually).

I'm still pretty cheesed off about this. I'm trying to keep an open mind about it. Hopefully it won't be that big a deal. We'll see.

I love Tiger 10 in spite of the annoying leveling treadmill. Tiger is different too, as you are at a huge disadvantage if you can't hit the ball as far and accurately as others, while hockey probably won't be nearly as bad.

[RealmK]

Re: Getting extra XP boosts this year for EASHL = absurd?

No, actually I only pre-ordered NHL10 this year. First time I haven't gotten both games on day 1 since 07. (I still may check out 2k eventually).

I'm still pretty cheesed off about this. I'm trying to keep an open mind about it. Hopefully it won't be that big a deal. We'll see.

I love Tiger 10 in spite of the annoying leveling treadmill. Tiger is different too, as you are at a huge disadvantage if you can't hit the ball as far and accurately as others, while hockey probably won't be nearly as bad.

Fair enough, though I don't think it'll be that major really in the end. Yeah I enjoyed Tiger too, played a fairly good game of golf.