EA Sports have posted their first NHL 12 Producer blog, discussing goalies.
Gameplay Producer Nate Ng here to kick off the first blog for NHL 12 with some goalie info. I just want to prefix the rest of the info with a few things. This is by no means ALL the new goalie info as things will change up until the game gets into your hands. This is also not the last time we will talk about goalies. If my blog doesn’t answer some of the questions you have, post your questions here and stay tuned! Without further ado, let’s dig into some goalie info for NHL 12.
Goalie V-H Technique – what does V-H stand for? Well I’m glad you asked. It stands for vertical-horizontal. It is a technique used by goalies similar to the hug post. Goalie V-H is something you see many NHL goalies do throughout the game but something we’ve been missing in the title. The purpose of this technique is to put goalies in better position for passes behind the goal line and also allows for them to more easily push off the post into butterfly. How does this affect your goalie in NHL 12? From the goalie V-H, you will be able to make saves, poke check, and cover the puck. You will also be able to push off the post from this stance and right into butterfly or into the desperation saves.
Updated goalie saves – Goalies are always a work in progress. The thing with goalies is that we have to make them balanced. Any tweaks to shooting or AI, and we have to rebalance goalies. They are what one might call a house of cards. Tune a shot this way, and you have the potential to unleash ‘always goals’. Much like every other year, we go in and look at all the saves we have in the game and try to tune goalie behavior to allow for goal scoring, yet still have goalies feel natural. We have also improved the puck tracking for goalies this year. What this means for goalies is that they will be better at fighting through the screens and battles in front of the net, and be more agile when skaters are pulling dekes on breakaways and in close.
Goalies are LIVE – Yes, you read correctly. Skating hard to the net, players will have the ability to crash the crease, jostle for position in the crease, bump or even run the goalie over. Don’t worry though goalies, we will call goalie interference penalties. Have a pest in front of your net that you want to clear out? We got you covered. Goalies can shove back this year. Both AI goalies and user goalies can and will clear out the front of their nets. For AI goalies, it will be based on their ratings, and for user goalies we will give you a button.
Goalie behavior this year will also be affected by traits. A more aggressive goalie will shove and fight to clear his crease. A good puck handling goalie will be brave and come out and challenge for loose pucks.
Goalie fights – Goalies can fight! You asked for it, you got it! When you run the goalie, you can expect a tough guy to stand up for his goalie. At times, the goalie will stand up for himself by dropping the gloves and there’ll also be times where the opposing goalie will want a piece of the action too. We saw it happen a couple times this year in the real NHL…if it’s in the game, it’s gotta be in the game!
There you have it folks, the first little teaser to goalies in NHL 12.
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