Gameplay Producer Discusses NHL 14 Goalie Improvements, New Trailer Included

[bwiggy33]

Re: Gameplay Producer Discusses NHL 14 Goalie Improvements, New Trailer Included

uhh you cant call it an improvement when that happens in NHL 13.

all those goals being scored were just normal nhl 13 goals. not because of screeening or getting the goalie out of position. just an excuse for all the same goals to go in.

This is so correct. I honestly don't think ratings for goalies matter at all. Every goalie plays the same because they are programmed to, and there's only certain outcomes where goals go in. So basically even though a goalie has a rating of 95 for glove high, an 80 glove high will still play the exact same because goalies and scoring plays are programmed the same for everyone. The only time you can actually tell a difference in ratings is going from the NHL goalies to the CHL goalies because more goals go in. I just think the programming trumps the actual ratings in this game because it is all based on percentages. That goes for both goalies and players and that's why we don't see player differentiation. Until this game goes away from percentages and calculations for goal scoring, the only ratings differences we see will be ones that have to do with speed.

In this game the puck can only hit certain parts of the net. Those parts of the net are the middle, five hole (rarely), perfectly upper corner, and perfectly lower corner. There aren't any goals legitimately scored over the shoulder (closer to the goalies head), under the inside of the arms, under their pads (not 5 hole), or any other goals we see in real life. That's why all of the goal scoring feels the same and that's why all goalies play the same. The game is just so overly programmed for the puck to go in the same spots every time that the same things happen over and over again. This game needs to nail down the fact that the puck can hit any spot of the net and can beat the goalie anywhere. It would also be a breath of fresh air to actually see true to life net tension. Gone are the days of a baggy net where the puck automatically drops straight down.

[Segagendude]

Re: Gameplay Producer Discusses NHL 14 Goalie Improvements, New Trailer Included

I thought the OS moderator, who was at E3, said that EA gave him a very strange answer as to why they removed group celebrations.
He never stated the reason, only that it was bizarre.
I didn't realize next-gen hardware was needed to make group hugs possible.

Probably because memory was taken up with breaking glass, helmets popping off and goalie fights....

You know, stuff we've been clamoring for. SMH....

And @bwiggy--- in other words, net physics, as some have suggested are in FIFA? That'd be cool!

[Guapo516]

This game looks great.

Way off topic may b but ea sports should do a mirrors edge camera angle for every game I could only imagine..

[ERA]

Can't wait to try the new hitting mechanics and also the enforcer engine. To be honest it looks kind of like '13 in my opinion, though.

[ComaFaction]

Re: Gameplay Producer Discusses NHL 14 Goalie Improvements, New Trailer Included

Was the very first save by Price new? The butterfly looks way better to me - he's very upright and takes it off his chest much more realistically. Or maybe I'm imagining things.

[FBeaule04]

Re: Gameplay Producer Discusses NHL 14 Goalie Improvements, New Trailer Included

I don't see anything different from the videos they showed us last summer when saying they've improved the goalies in NHL 13. To be fairly honest, I like what I see, but there's nothing that makes me believe it's different from last year.

[Al_Tito13]

Re: Gameplay Producer Discusses NHL 14 Goalie Improvements, New Trailer Included

From the blog's notes, there seems to be some tweaks that could actually make the goalies better in NHL 14, even if they don't look much different in the trailer. I'll have to wait to play the game before being able to make a full opinion. One thing is for sure, I really hope that goalies lateral movement speed and anticipation was reduced, because it was way over the top in NHL 13.

[Schmackity]

Re: Gameplay Producer Discusses NHL 14 Goalie Improvements, New Trailer Included

All they have to do is remove the 'glitch' goals and top shelf shots constantly going in and I'd buy the game. No other crap added to it.

You can't play an online game these days without playing someone who doesn't understand hockey but can glitch goal everytime. It's depressing.

[jonapaloma]

Re: Gameplay Producer Discusses NHL 14 Goalie Improvements, New Trailer Included

This is so correct. I honestly don't think ratings for goalies matter at all. Every goalie plays the same because they are programmed to, and there's only certain outcomes where goals go in. So basically even though a goalie has a rating of 95 for glove high, an 80 glove high will still play the exact same because goalies and scoring plays are programmed the same for everyone. The only time you can actually tell a difference in ratings is going from the NHL goalies to the CHL goalies because more goals go in. I just think the programming trumps the actual ratings in this game because it is all based on percentages. That goes for both goalies and players and that's why we don't see player differentiation. Until this game goes away from percentages and calculations for goal scoring, the only ratings differences we see will be ones that have to do with speed.

In this game the puck can only hit certain parts of the net. Those parts of the net are the middle, five hole (rarely), perfectly upper corner, and perfectly lower corner. There aren't any goals legitimately scored over the shoulder (closer to the goalies head), under the inside of the arms, under their pads (not 5 hole), or any other goals we see in real life. That's why all of the goal scoring feels the same and that's why all goalies play the same. The game is just so overly programmed for the puck to go in the same spots every time that the same things happen over and over again. This game needs to nail down the fact that the puck can hit any spot of the net and can beat the goalie anywhere. It would also be a breath of fresh air to actually see true to life net tension. Gone are the days of a baggy net where the puck automatically drops straight down.

I also hope they make the ratings matter. They haven't affected how good players/goalies are in a long time. I bought 09 recently and it was the same thing. A players speed was the same with 50 as it was at 99.

[Just_Cow]

I will hold my criticism until I get my hands on the game in September. EA is known to hyping us with all these great fixes and additions to the game, only to fall flat when the game releases and do maybe 1-3 updates per year. I'm not holding my breath on these "goalie improvements".

Outside of that, and I know gameplay is important which is understandable, I'm a bit dumbfounded that after 7 years of this franchise on the Xbox 360, arena designs for the most part look the same, player models look the same, and I'm praying they FINALLY changed the announcing team. Madden has recieved plenty of visual overhauls even in it's presentation. The same can be said about FIFA and NCAA 14. NHL, it's been very minimal year after year. Sometimes I think EA in general aren't giving the NHL franchise the same love and care they are with FIFA and Madden.

We will see in September, but this being the last NHL of this console generation (kind of), I'm honestly not holding my breath or getting any bit hyped up for NHL 14.

[gator3guy]

Re: Gameplay Producer Discusses NHL 14 Goalie Improvements, New Trailer Included

All they have to do is remove the 'glitch' goals and top shelf shots constantly going in and I'd buy the game. No other crap added to it.

You can't play an online game these days without playing someone who doesn't understand hockey but can glitch goal everytime. It's depressing.

That's because EA doesn't reward good hockey. My opponent goes for an unnecessary hip check leading to a 2-0. The good hockey play would be to wait the goalie out and feed my teammate for a tap in. Well in 13 if you do that you end up without a goal 95% of the time. I played on an EASHL team last year that you would have to beg people to shoot because everyone would try to make the extra pass to setup a good scoring chance. This year? 2-0, 3-0 guys are racing to the net, not thinking once about passing, because that's somehow a higher percentage shot (and because poke check physics are ridiculous) in this game.

[ComaFaction]

Re: Gameplay Producer Discusses NHL 14 Goalie Improvements, New Trailer Included

I wish they would make strafing the blue line inside the offensive zone easier. It looks silly seeing defensemen spin away from the net like in the video.

[Splitter77]

Re: Gameplay Producer Discusses NHL 14 Goalie Improvements, New Trailer Included

I wish they would make strafing the blue line inside the offensive zone easier. It looks silly seeing defensemen spin away from the net like in the video.

i agree.
they should just have the skaters do that automatically like hitz pro did.
i dont really wanna have to hit a button or a trigger for that.

[Fiddy]

Re: Gameplay Producer Discusses NHL 14 Goalie Improvements, New Trailer Included

All they have to do is remove the 'glitch' goals and top shelf shots constantly going in and I'd buy the game. No other crap added to it.

You can't play an online game these days without playing someone who doesn't understand hockey but can glitch goal everytime. It's depressing.

how in the world, even since 07, do these guys on NHL team not fix the shots etc going in top shelf off the posts at a high %? i mean, listen, i get you want us to have full control, but if a certain shot is going in a high % of the time, cant they nerf goals from certain spots after 1 or 2 is scored? make the shots go high and wide, off post and wide, make goalie glove or blocker save them etc?

there has to be something they could do.. but im sure they dont want to take that user control away. heck, they could take it away and not even tell us. we would then think wow, they changed it up etc.

[sweetjones]

Re: Gameplay Producer Discusses NHL 14 Goalie Improvements, New Trailer Included

What about goalie passing? The pass accuracy has always been ridiculous. Will this ever get better?