NHL 15 Trailer and Screenshots - True Hockey Physics

[Steve_OS]

EA Sports posted the newest NHL 15 trailer today (and 4 more screenshots), showing off the new physics in this years game. In the trailer, we see that not only are the players getting a physics overhaul but the puck itself is getting new physics. The game will feature physics which see the puck interacting with the ice in ways we've only dreamed of up until this point.

What do you think of the trailer?

[GoFlaPanthers]

Re: NHL 15 Trailer - True Hockey Physics

The game looks incredible. However, It's still very disappointing to see players with the same generic faces (Kulikov).

Definitely think that getting nearly all player faces in is MUST for 16.

[adayinthelife]

Re: NHL 15 Trailer - True Hockey Physics

That's more like it!

I'm liking a lot of what I saw. It'll be interesting to see how overboard these player physics are, looks like it could potentially be a ****show every time more than 2 guys get close to each other. Also hoping that finally player size/weight/momentum will actually mean what it should in these situations. Either way, the 12 player talk sounds nice but I'm skeptical until I see more.

On the other hand, the puck looks great! Rolling pucks, pucks bouncing over sticks (assuming that's not a canned thing), fluttering on bad shots, etc - it just looks more alive in general, which has me excited for sure. I've always preferred the puck physics in the 2k series (even if they were a little much sometimes), and this looks to be more in line with that. Based on the PS4 version of FIFA vs. last gen, I do actually have a lot of confidence in how this area will feel.

[Sparkles]

Re: NHL 15 Trailer - True Hockey Physics

Its really friggen sweet to see Ray Ferraro on the side with another guy. Physics look incredible. can't wait

[bigwill33]

Re: NHL 15 Trailer - True Hockey Physics

Didn't show much, as expected. Sounds promising, but will take time with the game to see if it really impacts and pays off like it should.

Tough to tell much from these, but the goalie play looks brutal still. Very stiff and not lifelike at all. The one attempted save at 30-34 seconds by Scrivens, the Oilers goalie, horrible canned animations again.

And the play where Ovi gets dumped by a hip check, awful! Physics not working properly again with the checking. He is already by the guy, not to mention who throws a hipper in the slot or at the top of the crease?

[akula]

Re: NHL 15 Trailer - True Hockey Physics

as exciting as this SEEMS at first glance, do we not basically hear the same thing year after year and see the results are underwhelming? I am hoping the puck physics are closer to the 2k series as well which was much more "organic". Hoping the player collisions without hits (Incidental contact) is realistic but not overblown/over the top.

[adayinthelife]

Re: NHL 15 Trailer - True Hockey Physics

Didn't show much, as expected. Sounds promising, but will take time with the game to see if it really impacts and pays off like it should.

Tough to tell much from these, but the goalie play looks brutal still. Very stiff and not lifelike at all. The one attempted save at 30-34 seconds by Scrivens, the Oilers goalie, horrible canned animations again.

And the play where Ovi gets dumped by a hip check, awful! Physics not working properly again with the checking. He is already by the guy, not to mention who throws a hipper in the slot or at the top of the crease?

Tell that to some of the guys in my beer league…

I think the players in general are going to be a little janky until they literally rebuild the game from the ground up (like actually, not just reskinning and refining). It's not really an excuse, it's just gotten to the point where I don't think we can expect any different, which is sad. It does make me wonder whether we'll perhaps see a big leap sometime in a couple years when they finally stop making this a cross-gen series, or if we'll potentially be waiting until PS5.

[akula]

Re: NHL 15 Trailer - True Hockey Physics

Tough to tell much from these, but the goalie play looks brutal still. Very stiff and not lifelike at all. The one attempted save at 30-34 seconds by Scrivens, the Oilers goalie, horrible canned animations again.

A true goalie AI overhaul would be truly revolutionary to the series, I think it could be a major selling point (THE major selling point) to have new goalie AI rather than canned animations (ie: if puck is going high blocker side, play animation number seventeen! ; instead it should be if puck is going high blocker side and goalie has line of sight on the puck, move arm up in attempt to block puck in time)

It's not really an excuse, it's just gotten to the point where I don't think we can expect any different, which is sad. It does make me wonder whether we'll perhaps see a big leap sometime in a couple years when they finally stop making this a cross-gen series, or if we'll potentially be waiting until PS5.

Oh god, please don't make us wait for NEXT gen for an overhaul of the core engine (NHL 2024 anyone?) Isn't that what the "ignite" engine is supposed to be?

Does NHL 15 use the Ignite engine or not? or is it not a total overhaul like I'm hoping? cheers.

[Majingir]

Re: NHL 15 Trailer - True Hockey Physics

as exciting as this SEEMS at first glance, do we not basically hear the same thing year after year and see the results are underwhelming? I am hoping the puck physics are closer to the 2k series as well which was much more "organic". Hoping the player collisions without hits (Incidental contact) is realistic but not overblown/over the top.

lol exactly. Main reason I'm no longer caring that much about the hype for any game until I actually see not only regular people reviews of it,but play it for myself as well.

[akula]

Re: NHL 15 Trailer - True Hockey Physics

from facebook RE: pucks jumping over sticks: "this will be used as another "corrective" feature for when the game doesn't want you to score"

I hope to hell this isn't the case but wouldn't put it past EA. Imagine the game thinks you are running the score up to high and pucks start bouncing over sticks all over the place..

[Cletus]

Re: NHL 15 Trailer - True Hockey Physics

from facebook RE: pucks jumping over sticks: "this will be used as another "corrective" feature for when the game doesn't want you to score"

I hope to hell this isn't the case but wouldn't put it past EA. Imagine the game thinks you are running the score up to high and pucks start bouncing over sticks all over the place..

I doubt it will be, People give EA too much credit when they lose and not enough when they win. You mean the same people that can't code AI to do something different can code exactly when a puck is going to jump over a stick? I doubt it. I'm as frustrated as anyone with this series, but sports games need things like this because it does mimic real life.

As far as the trailer goes, it is the best one yet. I'm interested in the game now. I've come to accept that goalies are going to be bad and movements bad, but if we can score realistic goals I'd be happy. I've been playing this series for so long that I always shoot top shelf because it goes in 75% more than anywhere else on the goalie. Hits are always going to be weird, especially in the first year of this cycle, but hitting is one area the sliders actually work.

[peter21]

Re: NHL 15 Trailer - True Hockey Physics

It looks really shiny and nice, but I'll wait to see/hear users thoughts on the gameplay, physics and AI.

Marketing hype is a wonderful thing, but the real test is how the game holds up after the first week or so.

Goalies never seem to get any love in this game. I think playing goalie could be a real exciting feature, either through BAP or online, but there's so many limitations to it right now. And last year, the howls of complaints from glitchers who couldn't score because of desperation saves was pretty entertaining, to be honest. EA must always feel they have to cater to the offense. Goalies and defensemen get such short shrift, and that's a shame.

I like to play D, and I can appreciate a player who is really good at the position, because the game is stacked against you!

I hope NHL15 will be good, but at this stage, I will remain skeptical because the last two versions, while not horrible, did not justify their price tag.

[actionhank]

Re: NHL 15: True Hockey Physics Trailer

These new physics look great so far (I still want to see them in actual gameplay, not a "check out this cool stuff" trailer).

I just hope they address that dropping to a knee animation from contact. It's kind of frustrating having your player deke around 2 defenders and have them collide just to have them both bump, drop to a knee, then stand back up.

Everything looked pretty great though. It will definitely be nice to get a breakaway when the puck bumps over a players stick on the powerplay...that said, i don't know that my controller can handle it when it happens against me.

from facebook RE: pucks jumping over sticks: "this will be used as another "corrective" feature for when the game doesn't want you to score"

I hope to hell this isn't the case but wouldn't put it past EA. Imagine the game thinks you are running the score up to high and pucks start bouncing over sticks all over the place..

I've never bought that stuff that EA has something to balance the game. It's just random. I've never felt like the game was forcing me to miss based on situations or predetermined scenarios.
I've had games where no matter what i did the puck wouldn't go in, and the other team could hardly get shots on net, and they still won, but that's real hockey some nights.

I think all of that "ice balancing" talk is just people connecting dots they've drawn themselves. I think it's truly random, just like i imagine puck bouncing will be. It would be nice if the game somehow kept track of where players skated most, or how late in the period it was, but that might be expecting a bit much.

[bigwill33]

Re: NHL 15 Trailer - True Hockey Physics

from facebook RE: pucks jumping over sticks: "this will be used as another "corrective" feature for when the game doesn't want you to score"

I hope to hell this isn't the case but wouldn't put it past EA. Imagine the game thinks you are running the score up to high and pucks start bouncing over sticks all over the place..

It is what is programmed to happen now in the game if your team has taken too many big hits. The momentum is programmed into the game so that your team will become rattled and a pass that should easily be handled bouncing off of or over your stick is one of the common results. Lazy programming if you ask me. How about learning to play defense properly to break up a pass or scoring chance and not having to rely on selling out to crush someone, with or without the puck, and then getting rewarded from taking yourself out of position because the other team is "rattled".

When my skilled teams played teams like this we loved it in real life. Make that extra pass or chip it past someone and you are off to the races. If you want to see someone get rattled, watch as their goalie gets lit up from countless odd man breaks and a devastating power play that is on the ice every other shift as a result of their undisciplined game. According to EA and what they think works in the NHL, the Flyers should have won every cup since 1975.

[spidertour02]

Re: NHL 15 Trailer - True Hockey Physics

I enjoyed this for what it is, and I think the game is coming along nicely, though surely someone will materialize shortly to tell me why I'm an idiotic shill for EA.