Why does my team ignore the puck?

[kerosene31]

It bounces near their stick... they ignore it.

Passes go by their skates... they ignore it.

Pucks sit in the goal crease... they ignore it.

Players with the puck skate by... ignored.

I'm sick of losing games because my teammates have no puck awareness.

The CPU team is a hawk on the puck. Why can't my team even acknowledge the puck exists?

[kerosene31]

Re: Why does my team ignore the puck?

I just smashed a controller in two pieces. Seriously.

A cross crease pass went right through my d-man's skates. Before that, all 4 players went to the blueline on a pk and let the other team have a 3-0.

I'm so tired of being in perfect position and losing battles. What is the secret of this game? I can't possibly switch players fast enough to fix every situation. I need the CPU to do something positive once in awhile.

[eeyor]

Re: Why does my team ignore the puck?

this is something that bothered me for years, sometimes it seems like my player is standing 1 feet away from the puck but doesn't intend to pick it up...so a player from the other team comes takes it and has a break...

[Section_25]

Re: Why does my team ignore the puck?

I just smashed a controller in two pieces. Seriously.

Those things are too expensive to be destroying...LOL

Try slamming the side of the chair or something, it's cheaper :wink:

[JMBOO]

Re: Why does my team ignore the puck?

Yeah, it does get frustrating playing OTP games and having things like this happen

Wait, vs. play?

Then you have to realize that your CPU mates do it just to make you angry.

Really though, they just like hearing you scream at the TV and scare the neighbors.

[silverandblack]

Re: Why does my team ignore the puck?

wouldn't a simple "awareness" slider help with this issue?

[swil]

Re: Why does my team ignore the puck?

Yeah, it does get frustrating playing OTP games and having things like this happen

Wait, vs. play?

Then you have to realize that your CPU mates do it just to make you angry.

Really though, they just like hearing you scream at the TV and scare the neighbors.

Pretty such I've done that a time or two playing this dang game.

[baa7]

Re: Why does my team ignore the puck?

Player control seems to switch fast enough for me when I pass to a teammate, so I don't know. I'm also someone who is happy that CPU teammates don't do things like auto-pass and auto-shoot. I prefer controlling my players and their actions.

[sanders]

Re: Why does my team ignore the puck?

There's that and D-men ignoring the player whos going to get the cross crease pass. My d man will be standing right beside him but just watch as he one-times a goal. Same with when I comein - both d will make a move for me leaving him wide open?!?!

I can see when a guy sneaks in but once the other d man sees the guy in the slot he should be right on him - not standing 5 feet a way so he's useless.

[baa7]

Re: Why does my team ignore the puck?

There's that and D-men ignoring the player whos going to get the cross crease pass. My d man will be standing right beside him but just watch as he one-times a goal. Same with when I comein - both d will make a move for me leaving him wide open?!?!

I can see when a guy sneaks in but once the other d man sees the guy in the slot he should be right on him - not standing 5 feet a way so he's useless.

I played a game today where the CPU fired the puck out from the corner in my end. I was controlling the player on the boards. The puck slid along the ice between my goalie and my Dman who were standing at most 3 feet apart from each other. In fact, the puck slid (and slid rather slowly) approx 4 inches by my goalie's feet, through the crease, and onto the stick of the CPU player standing on the other side of the crease. Neither player of mine made a move toward the puck; they simply watched it as it slid. And the CPU had an easy tap-in of course.

Still, I wouldn't have wanted my Dman to grab the puck before it slid by and onto the CPU's stick. Or skate over to the CPU player and check him. As the person controlling these players, that's my job.

2K baseball has teammate AI where your players will snag linedrives and such without you laying a hand on the controller stick. I've played entire innings in that series where I never made a single putout -- my AI controlled teammates made all three outs, without any input from me. Any game programmed like that is a badly programmed game IMO.

[kerosene31]

Re: Why does my team ignore the puck?

2K baseball has teammate AI where your players will snag linedrives and such without you laying a hand on the controller stick. I've played entire innings in that series where I never made a single putout -- my AI controlled teammates made all three outs, without any input from me. Any game programmed like that is a badly programmed game IMO.

See, I have this thing where I can't hold 5 controllers at once. It is this physical handicap I have.

As a matter of fact, I'm ashamed to admit... I can only hold one controller. See, I was only born with 2 hands.

Are you people just really good at switching players? I switch players and it takes me a second to figure out who I have. In that second... flashing goal light.

Do people just attack all over on D and not play positionally? I'm guessing this is what people do who like this game.

[baa7]

Re: Why does my team ignore the puck?

Are you people just really good at switching players? I switch players and it takes me a second to figure out who I have. In that second... flashing goal light.

Do people just attack all over on D and not play positionally? I'm guessing this is what people do who like this game.

There are many times when I'm not quick enough. That goal today was an example. It was a bogus goal in many ways, but I personally wouldn't want it any other way. Maybe there needs to be an option similar to auto and semi-auto fielding in baseball games.

As for playing positionally, I generally only take control of my players in front of the net. I've learned that when I try to control someone on the perimeter in my end, the CPU has a remarkable (meaning cheap and cheesy) ability to instantly find someone in front of my net. I tried it today again and got burned, again. It's maybe the only time in the game where the lack of teammate AI in the game stands out as being bogus AI programming.

[dorismary]

Re: Why does my team ignore the puck?

at certain key times on allstar my cpu players just are slow or have little response and the cpu offense comes flying in

[kerosene31]

Re: Why does my team ignore the puck?

Yes, that is the problem. On the other end, the CPU for the other team is downright nasty in covering, yet my guys are all over the place. I spend most of the time in my zone trying to keep my d-men from wandering to the blueline.

CPU teammate AI is vital in a hockey game. Defense is a 5 man task.

[baa7]

Re: Why does my team ignore the puck?

Kerosene, since you started this thread, I've been pausing the game and looking at replays of CPU goals. There's definitely some crappy AI programming happening on many plays. I've got my current game on pause right now and here's what just happened on a CPU powerplay (I play with collapsing defensive strategy):

The CPU has three players around my net -- one in each faceoff circle and a third behind the net. I'm controlling my LD, covering the CPU player in the L faceoff circle. The puck comes to the CPU player in the R faceoff circle. I switch control to my RD and face the puck carrier who is looking to shoot or for someone to pass to. Inexplicably, my cpu-controlled LD -- the player I just moved into position and who's supposed to be covering the CPU player in the L faceoff circle -- skates across the ice and into the R faceoff circle, heading for the puck carrier.

And of course the CPU puck carrier fires a pass to the now uncovered CPU player in the L faceoff circle, and bang -- in the net.

I couldn't possibly have prevented the goal. The pass and shot were simply too fast. And even if I could have changed player control that quickly, I had no player within 15 feet of the CPU shooter when the pass was made.