NHL 12: Sim Engine Blog

[bruinsftw2k]

Re: NHL 12: Sim Engine Blog

The ratings aren't terrible, it's just (IMO at least) they aren't stretched out enough to create a noticeable difference between stars and 4th liners.

But judging from the screenshots the results look pretty good. I'm also guessing either the results are scaled to the ratings they have (so that a forward in the low 70s produces like a bottom 6 forward, since usually low 70 OVR players tend to be those players) or they re-did their ratings like Donny Moore did in Madden 10.

Exactly, they need to make it so the superstars are in the 90s, the stars in the 80s the 3rd liners in the 70s and the 4th liners in the 60s, then all of the AHLers below that.


I wonder if the big change could be attribute changes during the season, like if you have a call up who is a 50 but start scoring a ton of goals, his rating could be raised to a 70 or 80 by the time the season is over or something to that affect

[NYwRiter94]

Re: NHL 12: Sim Engine Blog

They already have that, it's just not as drastic.

[Kobalt]

Re: NHL 12: Sim Engine Blog

Lots of good info.

[Money99]

Re: NHL 12: Sim Engine Blog

Great info! Thanks for posting!
I've been dying for a more realistic sim engine since 07. This is great news indeed!

[mercalnd]

Re: NHL 12: Sim Engine Blog

I've never been too bothered by player stats produced by the sim engine but I really hated seeing Detroit, Philly and Boston regularly miss the playoffs in year 1 (I don't mind if they fall off as the years go by) while teams like Florida, Edmonton and the Islanders were winning their division.

Hopefully this new sim engine is a big improvement. Everything sounds good but it can't be easy balancing these things.

[RealmK]

Re: NHL 12: Sim Engine Blog

Great info! Thanks for posting!
I've been dying for a more realistic sim engine since 07. This is great news indeed!

Hey Hank, think this could be the year finally or what? *keeping my fingers crossed*

[Gagnon39]

Re: NHL 12: Sim Engine Blog

Fantastic news. This is awesome!

I am hoping their other announcement will be that you can play out CHL seasons. Not that I would do that, but I would love to see who the leading scorer is in the QMJHL, WHL, OHL, who wins the Memorial Cup, etc.

If EA covers these next two things, this game will be everything I've been asking for since I was 12 years old.

1) Allow the user total control over jersey numbers and captaincies. Or at least have the CPU better regulate them (retired jersey numbers, correct captains after being resigned, etc.)

2) Allow draft picks to progress quicker and have busts and diamonds in the ruff. Should be baseed (somewhat) on how they do in the CHL (statistically).

[Gagnon39]

Re: NHL 12: Sim Engine Blog

Goalies not playing basically every game and the stars producing like they should barring injuries is already a huge change from past years.

Hopefully we got some tuning on the award logic too. It annoyed the hell out of me that goalies always won the Conn Smythe and a lot of times the Hart as well.

YES! Me too. I won the Cup with the Hawks and Toews was the clear winner, but low and behold, Turco was given the award. Even though I pulled him twice in the Stanley Cup Final.

[BlueNGold]

Re: NHL 12: Sim Engine Blog

Fantastic news. This is awesome!

I am hoping their other announcement will be that you can play out CHL seasons. Not that I would do that, but I would love to see who the leading scorer is in the QMJHL, WHL, OHL, who wins the Memorial Cup, etc.

If EA covers these next two things, this game will be everything I've been asking for since I was 12 years old.

1) Allow the user total control over jersey numbers and captaincies. Or at least have the CPU better regulate them (retired jersey numbers, correct captains after being resigned, etc.)

2) Allow draft picks to progress quicker and have busts and diamonds in the ruff. Should be baseed (somewhat) on how they do in the CHL (statistically).

This is a good point.

Considering they mentioned simming games with any team in any league, maybe we can now look at the stats players in the draft put up and also follow junior players that will be entering the draft in future years. So maybe if you see some young player in the CHL consistently be a goal-scoring machine, you put more effort into scouting him and trying to draft him. Also the fact that the sim engine seems like it's going to be less random and more a result of attributes means that that prospect putting up a ton of goals will actually be a sniper and not some 3rd line grinder.

One other thing I hope that gets covered with this sim engine improvement is the statistical history of every player. It's annoying that you can only see about 3-5 of a player's past seasons, even if it's someone like Daniel Alfredsson or Nick Lidstrom who have been in the league for a long time.

[nddurst]

Re: NHL 12: Sim Engine Blog

ii. It is also possible for the goalie to get injured in this case...

Anyone else catch this tidbit?

[Moses Doughty]

Re: NHL 12: Sim Engine Blog

Impressed by what I saw. It'll be nice to see the big names actually leading the points race and have more than 90 a season as it seems, looking at Sids 130. And nice to see that Quick looks good, he wasnt all that good in NHL11

[Scottdau]

Re: NHL 12: Sim Engine Blog

If the stats are soild and the player separation and puck physics are better I will be all over this game.

[BlueNGold]

Re: NHL 12: Sim Engine Blog

Anyone else catch this tidbit?

Yeah, but apparently we're still not going to get in-game goalie injuries this year. Strange considering we have goalie collisions now, but whatever.

[Gagnon39]

Re: NHL 12: Sim Engine Blog

This is a good point.

Considering they mentioned simming games with any team in any league, maybe we can now look at the stats players in the draft put up and also follow junior players that will be entering the draft in future years. So maybe if you see some young player in the CHL consistently be a goal-scoring machine, you put more effort into scouting him and trying to draft him. Also the fact that the sim engine seems like it's going to be less random and more a result of attributes means that that prospect putting up a ton of goals will actually be a sniper and not some 3rd line grinder.

One other thing I hope that gets covered with this sim engine improvement is the statistical history of every player. It's annoying that you can only see about 3-5 of a player's past seasons, even if it's someone like Daniel Alfredsson or Nick Lidstrom who have been in the league for a long time.

I think they've just added to their database each year since NHL 08 or maybe 09. I remember one of the years the players just had the previous season's stats. Then the following year they had two, then three, etc. Kind of lame.

Also, since attributes are now part of the sim engine I hope that I we won't see Detroit missing the playoffs and the New York Islanders locking up a top seed. Kind of annoying.

[Gagnon39]

Re: NHL 12: Sim Engine Blog

Yeah, but apparently we're still not going to get in-game goalie injuries this year. Strange considering we have goalie collisions now, but whatever.

Really!? That sucks, bad. Hopefully they actually added fatigue to players this year. While its not uncommon for a player to play 82 games, they should grow somewhat weary by their 75th game. Players should actually benefit from days off and be more tired when they play, say, a home-and-home. I'd especially like to see goalie fatigue so that I don't have to pretend my goalie is tired and start my backup every once in a while for realism's sake.