NHL 09 Q&A: EA Sports Hockey League Revealed (Gamespot)

[Qb]

Re: NHL 09 Q&A: EA Sports Hockey League Revealed (Gamespot)

Yeah, I understand you Savoie. There is some ambiguity for me when it comes to building up attributes. Will users be free to purchase attributes for their player until he is rated 99 in every category? Or will there be limits on certain attributes determined by player type (ie, sniper checking maxes out at 80)?

It sounds like the more you play and the more you do, the more you can accumulate points for your player which is what has me worried. The ranked-game crowd plays insane amounts of games while scoring inordinate amounts of goals and registering exorbitant bodycheck totals. If my fears about the system prove true, in time those players will have 99 rated supermen to go along with their questionable methods.

I don't know, I guess I just feel like its going to be hard to find a decent game as a part of this league. Not to mention that if it follows the ranked format from 08, it will be only 5 minute periods with speedy gameplay. Anyways, I'm just saying that while I'm very excited to play 6v6, the EASHL (while a cool concept) may not be my thing...

[savoie2006]

Re: NHL 09 Q&A: EA Sports Hockey League Revealed (Gamespot)

I would hope that the attributes you can increase are in the areas you have excelled at.That would be the correct way to determine how attributes are improved.

[Rules]

Re: NHL 09 Q&A: EA Sports Hockey League Revealed (Gamespot)

Wow, that sounds exciting. I'm definitely down with joining an online hockey team (Hopefully, we can get a team up and going here to take into the EA Hockey League Online).

[JimmyDeicide]

Re: NHL 09 Q&A: EA Sports Hockey League Revealed (Gamespot)

If my fears about the system prove true, in time those players will have 99 rated supermen to go along with their questionable methods.

I don't know, I guess I just feel like its going to be hard to find a decent game as a part of this league. Not to mention that if it follows the ranked format from 08, it will be only 5 minute periods with speedy gameplay. Anyways, I'm just saying that while I'm very excited to play 6v6, the EASHL (while a cool concept) may not be my thing...

The only way this will work for guys like us is if a team of sim minded players who know how to play hockey are able to counter all the cheese with proper hockey sense and play.

I seriously doubt that that we have enough tools to stop all the cheese especially if the league speed is above slow.
I think it might still be fun tho trying to frustrate the cheesers with a good sim team maybe play spoilers and take some of them down . Kinda turn the tides on them so to speak.

[nyisles16]

Re: NHL 09 Q&A: EA Sports Hockey League Revealed (Gamespot)

The only way this will work for guys like us is if a team of sim minded players who know how to play hockey are able to counter all the cheese with proper hockey sense and play.

I seriously doubt that that we have enough tools to stop all the cheese especially if the league speed is above slow.
I think it might still be fun tho trying to frustrate the cheesers with a good sim team maybe play spoilers and take some of them down . Kinda turn the tides on them so to speak.

Jimmy - look forward to shooting some pucks again with you!

[TheLetterZ]

Re: NHL 09 Q&A: EA Sports Hockey League Revealed (Gamespot)

I'm not too worried about the passing. Most videos like these are usually played on a low difficulty level like Rookie, so I'd expect the passing to be easy.

[kerosene31]

Re: NHL 09 Q&A: EA Sports Hockey League Revealed (Gamespot)

Passing is waaaayyyyy too fast. Even if there are sliders, I bet you'll have to play this league with the default settings. That passing in the 2nd video is absolutely nuts. All star teams couldn't pass like that...

Passing is such an important part of hockey. How are you supposed to play D against those laser precise passes? I thought I read somewhere that they toned it down, but that looks just as bad as 08 to me.

The first thing most people do with sliders in 08 is turn the gameplay speed down to zero. That should tell you something about the default setting.

[bukktown]

Re: NHL 09 Q&A: EA Sports Hockey League Revealed (Gamespot)

This feature kind of makes my imagination run wild!

You gotta give EA Canada a lot of credit for this.

I know some people are worried about the online nuts who will max out there attribute ratings and dominate with the cheese but I just hope that my created player doesn't go down in ratings.

I don't want to be the worst created player on the ice!

[Bahnzo]

Re: NHL 09 Q&A: EA Sports Hockey League Revealed (Gamespot)

It sounds like the more you play and the more you do, the more you can accumulate points for your player which is what has me worried. The ranked-game crowd plays insane amounts of games while scoring inordinate amounts of goals and registering exorbitant bodycheck totals. If my fears about the system prove true, in time those players will have 99 rated supermen to go along with their questionable methods.

I don't know, I guess I just feel like its going to be hard to find a decent game as a part of this league. Not to mention that if it follows the ranked format from 08, it will be only 5 minute periods with speedy gameplay. Anyways, I'm just saying that while I'm very excited to play 6v6, the EASHL (while a cool concept) may not be my thing...

This was the first thing I thought of when we were discussing this earlier. An unfortunate reality of this is going to be: people with inordinate amounts of time forming teams of maxed out players using any and all methods available to win.

It's never about who plays a good game of hockey, but who figures out how best to exploit the hockey game.

It's a brilliant idea, but with the fiasco that NCAA has shown so far with it's online dynasty, I really have my doubts as to how well it will work...at least this year. I suspect it will take a year of having it out there and letting the masses find all it's holes before it will be really worthwhile. But here's hoping.....

[wildhockey19]

Re: NHL 09 Q&A: EA Sports Hockey League Revealed (Gamespot)

.....It's a brilliant idea, but with the fiasco that NCAA has shown so far with it's online dynasty, I really have my doubts as to how well it will work...at least this year. I suspect it will take a year of having it out there and letting the masses find all it's holes before it will be really worthwhile. But here's hoping.....

Exactly. Its going to be like every other MMORPG; people without a job/friends/girlfriend or any other thing that pulls a normal person away from a game will alway be the ones with all the best attributes and items. Theres just nothing to do about it other than try and level the playing field for the everyday gamer. Patches and such will probably take care of the major problems, but like you stated this feature will have to take time to mature as the flaws and bugs arise. Hell, look at WoW, how long has that been out, like 4 years! And they are still trying to improve on the fairness of the game.

With that said, I am as excited as Michael Jackson at a Chucky Cheese. I cant wait for this game to drop. The christening of the first ever sports MMORPG is epic and for it to be in my favorite sports franchise is unfathomable! Sure I know that again, there are going to be those few who use all the loop holes to win, but lets face it, I 'm not buying the game to try and be #1 on the leaderboards; thats just asinine to think of, so I will take my 1-2 *** kicken of cheesers to play those 15-20 quality games with the everyday gamer.

Peace.

[ChaseB]

Re: NHL 09 Q&A: EA Sports Hockey League Revealed (Gamespot)

Do you guys have leftover questions as it relates to this feature, gameplay, etc?

[wildhockey19]

Re: NHL 09 Q&A: EA Sports Hockey League Revealed (Gamespot)

do you know if in Be a Pro both off and online if you can "loss" attribute points.Like, if you go out and have a really bad game, 4+ mins in penalties or having a plus/minus of something like -3, can you actually loss points rather than just not gaining that many?

[ChaseB]

Re: NHL 09 Q&A: EA Sports Hockey League Revealed (Gamespot)

do you know if in Be a Pro both off and online if you can "loss" attribute points.Like, if you go out and have a really bad game, 4+ mins in penalties or having a plus/minus of something like -3, can you actually loss points rather than just not gaining that many?

It was just a general query. If you guys have various questions still about the game as a whole I'd pursue something to alleviate that.

[ohyeahbaby123]

Re: NHL 09 Q&A: EA Sports Hockey League Revealed (Gamespot)

It was just a general query. If you guys have various questions still about the game as a whole I'd pursue something to alleviate that.

That would be great!

My question: Will we be forced to play dump n chase this year? I mean, does the CPU have good enough neutral zone a.i to where I have to dump it in and set up that way?

[wildhockey19]

Re: NHL 09 Q&A: EA Sports Hockey League Revealed (Gamespot)

do you know if in Be a Pro both off and online if you can "loss" attribute points.Like, if you go out and have a really bad game, 4+ mins in penalties or having a plus/minus of something like -3, can you actually loss points rather than just not gaining that many?

This is my question.