Ok then, I need help.

[BleedsBlack&Gold]

Well, I'm at wit's end at this point. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but maybe you guys can help. let's start here.

This is offline. If I score one, the AI scores three. All the time. Every game I play ends the same way. I score 4, AI scores 6-7. I'm using forum-recommended sliders.

As in right now. Playing a game against Nashville. In the second period. I've got 16 shots, all well set up. One goal. well earned. Nashville has 9 shots. 3 goals. On ridiculous shots. One was a total cross ice pass AT THE GOAL LINE. From one wall to the other, one timer from the other wall, goal. What is it I'm doing wrong? I turn down the skill level to Pro. Same results. I mean, really. You can't begin to tell me that this is accurate, or any form of realistic.

I don't pursue hits anymore. All I can do is skate around, poke city, pray for no tripping penalty. If i can SOMEHOW get possession, if i skate ANYWHERE near an opposing player, turnover. What the hell man? Its like, the AI is ALWAYS some magical all-star team. EVERY game. I hear other people on here having issues like this, and many say "practice mode". Ok. What am I practicing, exactly?

I'm not above saying that it must be the way I'm playing. I can understand that. But what is it I'm doing wrong? Because it must be huge. I CAN'T win games. Is there a guide online, something I can at least start with? It's just getting out of hand. I started seeing this in last years game, but found sliders to circumvent it. This year, I'm lost. I'm feeling my $60 is wasted. I'm not having fun anymore. There's only so many 7-3 games I can lose.

Look, sorry for the rant. I'm just feeling frustrated. Maybe someone could give me hints on how to get out of this funk.

[Steven547]

Re: Ok then, I need help.

What is your CPU Difficulty slider at? That slider gives the CPU and advantage. Also, lower the CPU aggression slider a notch or two. Try those out for starts...

[BleedsBlack&Gold]

Re: Ok then, I need help.

Well, I keep the diff. slider at 0...that's always been that way...seems like that just ups the cheese factor. I'll lower the aggression, may be a good start, although I may have tried that already. In fact, seems as if sliders may not be the issue. Like I said, I'm not above admitting it may be operator error. :-) I just have a hard time believing its all me when this only seems to get worse every year. Just seems like the AI is untouchable, and my players are made of glass. Between the AI scoring AT WILL and my players turning over the puck every time they try to pass, move into a zone, get NEAR a defender, etc., I'm just losing it at this point. ;-)

[jmon]

Re: Ok then, I need help.

What difficulty are you playing on?

[BleedsBlack&Gold]

Re: Ok then, I need help.

I started on all star...then moved to Pro..results were the same, other than my TOA and shots went WAY up, but the AI would still score at will...like 3 goals on 5-7 shots at will. lol I would say I just suck, but I know I'm better than this. And that many goals on that many shots is just ridiculous. Plus my issues with puck control. I mean, my pass game looks more like real NHL. Mistakes are made, but it works generally well. Then look at the AI...tape to tape. all day long. No mistakes, no slip ups. How do I play against that? I mean seriously. I'll deal with all of this, if someone could just give hints as to HOW I can play against it. Maybe I'm not using enough of these goofy controls. All the stick lifts, etc. I mean, what do you guys use? I find myself pokechecking almost exclusively, as the sticklift just seems to be a slashing call button.

[BleedsBlack&Gold]

Re: Ok then, I need help.

Here's another example. I start out early with a two goal lead. The AI just scored 4 goals on the last 5 shots. Anyone have any excuses for this? I've had it. No comeback logic? Whatever. I've had it. Play perfect defense, so they start scoring from the blue line. I stop that, they score from the crease, on a kick. This is ridiculous. The aggression is turned to 0. My goalie reaction is 6. The opp. shot acc. is 0. the opp pass acc.? 0. And yet I still get destroyed. I've never had so much trouble with a game. I've bought this franchise every year for the last 10. Every year for the last 3 it gets harder, and not in a fun way. I like losing games. When it makes sense. When you go into the 3rd with your opponent beating you 4-2 and they only have 10 shots? What the hell man?? And they're on completely inhuman dekes, things like that...deke 6 times REAL fast, then shoot. What kind of crap is this? Most of it I've seen the last few years, but seriously now.

EDIT: NExt game. SAME THING. Went into the 2nd period with a 3 goal lead. And in two minutes. I'm down 4-3. I'm out of ideas. I'm done playing though. Nice to spend 60 on a game that isn't fun anymore. Thanks EA. But that's ok. There is no comeback coding. Remember? The topic we aren't allowed to talk about? Yeah how convenient.

[Steve Danger]

Re: Ok then, I need help.

I'm having the same issues man. I can't figure it out. Somehow the CPU can score on a random flip shot from the blue line but I can't score when I have an empty net one-timer because, of course, my shot sails wide, even though the shooter is standing almost on the goal line in front of the net.

I'm also starting to get pretty pissed off and I'm contemplating getting rid of the game. This will be the earliest I've traded in an NHL game. It's not even next year yet!

I think the developers care about online 99% of the time and the other one percent they leave to giving a sh*t about the offline play. I don't play online, I buy games to play with myself (play with myself lol). In this day and age though online is the money maker so old school gamers like me (I'm 30) are left out in the cold.

[BleedsBlack&Gold]

Re: Ok then, I need help.

Wow..thanks for backing me up on that. :-) I was really angry during my last msg and edit..was waiting for someone to come along and rip me a new one, and then you come along and back me up! :-)

Anyway. Agreed. I feel the same way. I suppose us old-timers are just gonna keep getting left behind for all this online goofiness. :-) No online for me. Not paying 60 a year for Xbox Live, just to get glitched and cheesed for hours on end. Been there, done that. Give me a good, stable, realistic Franchise mode, and I'm set. Looks like this isn't the game for me anymore.

[Steve Danger]

Re: Ok then, I need help.

Well I just read in a thread in the sliders section to try lowering the AI Learning slider. I'm going to try that now and play a game. I'll report back later.

[Steve Danger]

Re: Ok then, I need help.

Some good news, some bad news.

I changed AI Learning to 3 and the game played much better. I went down 1-0 to a legit goal caused by bad defensive positioning on my part. I tied the game in the second, then went up 2-1, then 3-1 on a penalty shot in the 3rd. Then the non-existent comeback AI kicked in and the CPU scored 2 goals to tie the game on two innocuous shots. After they tied the game the CPU had a number of good scoring chances (cross-crease one-timers, tipped shots from the point) that my goalie stopped. Remember, when the CPU was down 3-1 it was able to score on a random wrist shot from the circle while being defended and a tipped-in slapshot from the point with only one of their players in front of the net and two of my players defending him. After they tied the game they were getting actual good chances to score and were being stopped. Anyway, the CPU went on to score another goal to lead 4-3 and win the game.

I'm encouraged by some of the gameplay but most of it I still have issues with.

BleedsBlack&Gold, answer some things for me if you will:

1) Do you find that whenever you poke check the puck away from the CPU you always seem to poke it right back to them or to another CPU player? Conversely, when the CPU poke checks you do they always end up with the puck?

2) Do you find that the CPU is able to check you off the puck at will and when they do they always end up with possession?

3) Do your CPU-controlled teammates stand around like morons and do nothing at the best of times? For example, on the PP do your teammates just stand in position instead of trying to move into open ice?

4) Do you agree that when you pass the puck your control of your player shouldn't change to the player passed to until he receives the pass? I can't even begin to count the amounts of times I've passed the puck and then it automatically changes my control before I've stopped my movement input for the passing player thus taking the pass receiver out of position.

5) Do you find it ridiculous that the CPU can fire a pass from the corner of the rink in your zone back across the entire zone to the point to their open teammate on the blue line?

Anyway, this game is still a work in progress and if I can't find a fun and realistic manner in which to play by year's end I'll be giving up.

[BleedsBlack&Gold]

Re: Ok then, I need help.

1) Yes, and Yes. :-)

2)Seems like always.

3)Mostly, which I suppose is why my powerplay percentage is terrible.

4) Yeah, I can understand why they put this in, but I really don't like it. It makes it even harder to keep control.

5) Yeah, its amazing. Like I said, seems like I'm playing a team of allstars, every time I play, no matter who it is.

I feel the same way. I'm gonna keep trying, but I'm running out of patience with it. This isn't much, fun, I'll tell ya that.

[GlennN]

Re: Ok then, I need help.

I would suggest you just keep playing with the sliders. Don't worry about what other people have their sliders set at, do what works for you. My goalie gives up a ton of bad goals (no matter who I put in), so I just made sure the sliders let me be competitive. It takes the frustration out (at least for me). I love the idea of sliders!

[BleedsBlack&Gold]

Re: Ok then, I need help.

Ya know, I appreciate everyone's replies. I've kinda started over this morning, having slept on it, and I began with default sliders on all-star, worked from there, and I think I may be headed in a better direction. I took another route on how I do the sliders, that many wouldn't agree with, but it may just be getting me to a point where I don't want to sell this game just yet. :-) If I have anything positive to show, I'll post some sliders up.

[BleedsBlack&Gold]

Re: Ok then, I need help.

OK. wrong again. Everything went well. Until the third. I just got scored on 4 shots, in a row. Two shorthanded. Was winning 3-2, and the AI decided that was over. 4 for 4 shots. The first two shorthanded. No strategy changes, No change in anything. Playing the same game I had played for two periods. Please. Someone try arguing there is no comeback logic. Please. I think I have more than enough to prove otherwise. Even if it isn't comeback logic, what is it then? Have you ever seen that in real life? 4 shots, in a row, by 4 seperate players? In 2 minutes? With the first two being shorthanded? I think not.

[kt-od]

Re: Ok then, I need help.

Hey BB&G, where is your slider set for attribute effects? I know some people play with the effects maxed out. I play with it at 2 or 3 clicks. I learned really quick that if they are maxed, it makes mediocre players play like superstars and make all the players on the same level or skill.

That's just what I have noticed. I always have my G reaction slider at 4 and the CPU at 2. I had a hard time getting anything in net, but they could score at will. I have had some really good games, with no comeback AI. I'm playing with JayHawker's sliders, with a few of my tweaks.