Jay IronHook's PRO STAR Sliders for NHL 19

[jaibubwan]

INTRODUCTION:

My goal was NHL REALISM. I refined everything from passing, puck possession, puck looseness, physicality, to play difficulty. I believe I've come up with something pretty promising with my new PRO STAR sliders!

PRO STAR is constantly updated. It works with the latest game patch & tuner update (1.55 patch, 1.04 tuner). It's also an "all-purpose" slider set that can be applied on any difficulty level (tested in Pro & All-Star difficulty levels, so far)!


THE FEEL:

The main problem with NHL 19, as you move from "Pro" difficulty to "All Star" is that the CPU begins to behave "perfectly". Passes are lightning quick & always reach their destination. The CPU always finds the perfect position & seems to hold the puck like a super-human. You can only compete by matching the AI's perfect behavior.

But that's not real NHL hockey. Players get out of position. They make bad passes. As the Nashville Predator's Ryan Johansen once said: "Hockey is a game of mistakes".

So what PRO STAR does is modify sliders such that we maintain the talent of the players - but bring out the high pressure & puck battling nature of hockey more. In the offensive zone, you'll find more gaps in the CPU's defensive structure & more rebounds/scrambles in front of the net. In the defensive zone, you & your teammates will be able to disrupt passing plays & battle for loose puck possession.

Previous users may remember me from my previous NHL 18 PRO PLUS sliders. Those served to modify "Pro" difficulty to make it more challenging (because "All Star" was impossible to tame).

But no longer! In PRO STAR for NHL 19..."Pro" level users can finally play on "All Star" difficulty - without the unfair & unrealistic competition other sliders & default settings produce!


APPLYING PRO STAR:

An easy way to apply these sliders is to first apply the default "FULL SIM" sliders. Then refer to the images below. Only the HIGHLIGHTED values are to be entered into your slider options.

Under any highlighted value, you'll see a triple-dash line & an un-highlighted value. That just represents the original default "Full Sim" value. It's there for your reference, in case you'd like to revert or experiment.

As noted before, these sliders allow you to play in either "Pro" or "All Star" difficulty. First set your overall difficulty level. Then, where applicable (mostly "Checking" & "AI" sections), apply the respective PRO STAR slider recommendation for that difficulty.

Finally, any observations/questions/problems can be posted here. Or you can hit me up on Twitter where my username is @JayIronHook. If you have a problem, please make sure you have applied ALL the slider values EXACTLY as suggested. Some values may seem bizzare or illogical to you. But rest assured that all the modifications have a PURPOSE. If you do have your own modifications, please note them so I can reproduce your problem accurately.

NOW...HAVE FUN!


UPDATED March 16 2019 (previous users - see this link for specific changes):

Via link (if image does not appear below): https://imgur.com/oeyrSKX

[jaibubwan]

Re: Jay IronHook's PRO STAR Sliders for NHL 19

As I said, I'll go into more detail later. But one thing I want to address now is the "PASS ACCURACY" slider. I'm sure some of you will see that "0/100" value and assume it's a typo...or have the impulse to increase it.

But this is actually a HUGE discovery I made. PLEASE DO NOT BE SCARED. This does not mean all your passes will go wide. It actually introduces REALISM to passing.

So one problem I've seen in both "Pro" & "All Star" difficulty is that there are so many unrealistic passes made. I watch NHL games every week, and NHL 19 passes look so fake & arcade-like.

At first, I initially tried lowering the slider value but didn't see any significant change. Then, for fun, I lowered the value all the way to ZERO. And the result was AMAZING!

What happens is that the game starts factoring in body positioning & pressure on the player. So if you think you're making a perfect tape-to-tape pass while being mobbed...or stretch passing through obstacles like a Star Trek teleporter...NOT GOING TO HAPPEN HERE.

One great benefit of this slider value is that you have realistic loose pucks that result in offsides, icings, & most importantly PUCK BATTLES!

When you actually play the game with these sliders, you'll see it all occurs at a REASONABLE pace and nothing is too extreme.

[fasteddy]

Re: Jay IronHook's PRO STAR Sliders for NHL 19

Like how you highlighted just the changes,saves time.About to try them soon.Nice work.

[jaibubwan]

Re: Jay IronHook's PRO STAR Sliders for NHL 19

UPDATE Feb 4 2019:

The slider images above contain the latest updates. This post is for the benefit of users who applied the sliders previously. For their convenience, I am specifying which values need to be edited & updated.

This Sunday allowed me to stress test the sliders a bit more. So here are some fixes for issues I noticed...

1) Puck Carrier Skating = 53/100

The speed of the puck carriers was slightly too fast. It contributed to an arcade-like feeling. This fix gives us a good speed balance. Image for "Skating" section has been updated.

2) Aggression = 100/100 (PRO Difficulty) OR 50/100 (ALL STAR Difficulty).

I forgot to note the slider setting for "ALL STAR" difficulty, when these sliders were first released. The original "PRO" difficulty setting stays as it was. Image for "Checking" section has been updated.


3) Slashing penalty bug = No fix yet

You may notice excessive slashing penalties taken by the CPU. This is a BUG in NHL 19 - possibly due to the new tuner update..

What happens is that if you are playing offense, possess the puck, & skate by a CPU defender, while extending the right joystick (PS4) to tuck/guard the puck...the CPU will try to stick lift you from behind & ends up slashing you. This is a penalty against the CPU every time.

At first I thought the cause was the "Aggression" slider being maxed to "100/100". But even after reducing it & even lowering the respective penalty sliders...I could still reproduce this bug.

Because the slider settings seem to have no effect on this behavior...it seems this is a problem only EA can fix. It might be an oversight in their recent tuner release (1.03 post-update).

[rhouserjr0614]

Re: Jay IronHook's PRO STAR Sliders for NHL 19

Looking forward to trying these out. I’m not usually a 10 minute period guy but I will try them out. Thanks for putting these together.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[jaibubwan]

Re: Jay IronHook's PRO STAR Sliders for NHL 19

Looking forward to trying these out. I’m not usually a 10 minute period guy but I will try them out. Thanks for putting these together.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

10 minute periods are not a requirement. You can play under any length you like. My meaning was that I test these sliders using 10 minute periods. And I can only vouch for them in that context.

It might be that reducing or expanding the time has some effect on goal quantity, penalties, etc. But IMO, it's probably not a big deal.

My only concern is that if anyone posts a problem...and they use modified slider values...I'm aware of their customization - so I can try to solve the problem.

[cck2ca]

Re: Jay IronHook's PRO STAR Sliders for NHL 19

Jay, I love your slider set... do you think bumping up attribute effect will effect the sliders negatively at all?

[jaibubwan]

Re: Jay IronHook's PRO STAR Sliders for NHL 19

Jay, I love your slider set... do you think bumping up attribute effect will effect the sliders negatively at all?

Thanks bro!

The only concern I'd have is that because we have pass accuracy so low, it *might* produce some weird passing from lower skill players.

BUT I don't think that will actually happen. Because as I explained before, the pass accuracy slider seems to be more of a logic & context thing...with little relation to actual skill.

So try out your experiment & let me know! I can then note your experience for others who have the same desire.

[cck2ca]

Re: Jay IronHook's PRO STAR Sliders for NHL 19

Very small sample size, but I like the results so far.

Played one period, I was the leafs and CPU was the stars.

my CPU Teammate got a 5 minute boarding call and game misconduct, first time i have had seen that in the 2 months of playing 19.

shots were 7-6 dallas after the 1st period and it was tight checking and i enjoyed it.

one other tweak i made was i turned the trapezoid rule off and i got a goalie interference call for bumping bishop, first time this season i got that penalty.

Going to start a new franchise and will play a few games and give feedback, but i liked what i saw, the stars looked like stars and 3rd/4th line guys looked like 3rd/4th guys.

will report back in a couple days or so.

[jaibubwan]

Re: Jay IronHook's PRO STAR Sliders for NHL 19

Very small sample size, but I like the results so far.

Played one period, I was the leafs and CPU was the stars.

my CPU Teammate got a 5 minute boarding call and game misconduct, first time i have had seen that in the 2 months of playing 19.

shots were 7-6 dallas after the 1st period and it was tight checking and i enjoyed it.

one other tweak i made was i turned the trapezoid rule off and i got a goalie interference call for bumping bishop, first time this season i got that penalty.

Going to start a new franchise and will play a few games and give feedback, but i liked what i saw, the stars looked like stars and 3rd/4th line guys looked like 3rd/4th guys.

will report back in a couple days or so.

Good to hear this feedback.
I'm curious...do you play on "Pro" or "All Star" difficulty?

[jack72]

Re: Jay IronHook's PRO STAR Sliders for NHL 19

As I said, I'll go into more detail later. But one thing I want to address now is the "PASS ACCURACY" slider. I'm sure some of you will see that "0/100" value and assume it's a typo...or have the impulse to increase it.

What happens is that the game starts factoring in body positioning & pressure on the player. So if you think you're making a perfect tape-to-tape pass while being mobbed...or stretch passing through obstacles like a Star Trek teleporter...NOT GOING TO HAPPEN HERE.

One great benefit of this slider value is that you have realistic loose pucks that result in offsides, icings, & most importantly PUCK BATTLES!

Going to try these sliders...but regarding the passing.
As the human player, if the slider works the way you say fine....but what about the AI side.

Do they make perfect passes or are they in same imperfect passing based on player stats and body position constraints as the human player will get.....or do they make more unbelievable, stick to stick pass, slot passes and one time setup shot passes, when you cover them.

[jaibubwan]

Re: Jay IronHook's PRO STAR Sliders for NHL 19

Going to try these sliders...but regarding the passing.
As the human player, if the slider works the way you say fine....but what about the AI side.

Do they make perfect passes or are they in same imperfect passing based on player stats and body position constraints as the human player will get.....or do they make more unbelievable, stick to stick pass, slot passes and one time setup shot passes, when you cover them.

Rest assured, it's even between the human & cpu. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have gone with it. The CPU will also give up interceptions offside, icing etc. - at a realistic rate.

I find slot action is more of a realistic frenzy, if you have the correct defensive strategy.

Now there is a difference between pro & all star difficulty. On all star you'll find its harder (not impossible) to defend & cover CPU players because they make sudden movements to lose coverage.

But the greatest benefit of my pass slider is on all star mode...because without it, it wouldn't matter how good u defend. The CPU would execute insane & unrealistic pass sequences. Now, with PRO STAR, if you can't stop them...then game context & realism does.

[JonnyMoondog]

Re: Jay IronHook's PRO STAR Sliders for NHL 19

I'm really enjoying these sliders. I play position lock LD on All-Star. I had to turn off the slashing slider (set to 0) because in the first game there was 13 penalties called in the first 2 periods, 9 of them slashing. Now there isn't any more slashing but I've seen 5 min majors and game misconducts being called (2 in the the first 5 games I've played) a 4 min minor to one player. The play is the closest that I've seen an EA NHL game play like a real NHL game. It's not perfect of course and I've made a few of my own personal tweaks, such as upping the game speed to 2, making penalty slider changes and upping broken stick to 53 and because I was finding scoring too low on position lock, the goalie save stuff I moved to 45. As you said there is more icing and offsides, more board battles, more stick battles, more unpredictability. Every January it seems the game becomes stale for me because the play is the same. Your sliders have put new life into the game. Thank you for your efforts!

[jaibubwan]

Re: Jay IronHook's PRO STAR Sliders for NHL 19

The play is the closest that I've seen an EA NHL game play like a real NHL game. It's not perfect of course and I've made a few of my own personal tweaks, such as upping the game speed to 2, making penalty slider changes and upping broken stick to 53 and because I was finding scoring too low on position lock, the goalie save stuff I moved to 45. As you said there is more icing and offsides, more board battles, more stick battles, more unpredictability. Every January it seems the game becomes stale for me because the play is the same. Your sliders have put new life into the game. Thank you for your efforts!

Wonderful to hear! Later on, I'll edit in a reference to your suggestions - for others who want to play position-lock. It's not something I've ever done, so I'm sure you'd have a better handle on tweaking for that purpose.

I'm really enjoying these sliders. I play position lock LD on All-Star. I had to turn off the slashing slider (set to 0) because in the first game there was 13 penalties called in the first 2 periods, 9 of them slashing. Now there isn't any more slashing but I've seen 5 min majors and game misconducts being called (2 in the the first 5 games I've played) a 4 min minor to one player.

As I explained in this post, the slashing issue is an EA bug.

I tried restoring to defaults: penalty sliders, aggression, stick lifts, and various checking values. I could still reproduce this bug. Which means it's not a simple slider issue.

Thanks for sharing your suggestion about reducing slashing to zero. I'm going to test it later. Might be a good temporary fix, until EA fixes it on their end.

[mikeymayhem]

Re: Jay IronHook's PRO STAR Sliders for NHL 19

Hey man I loved your sliders last year! I’m trying these out on true broadcast! I’ve recently had the itch for that style. I’ll probably begin on pro.

What are your rules looking like?