NHL 12 Producer Blog #1 - Great Teams Begin With Great Goalies

[stew514]

Quote: Originally Posted by SwinginAs12

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.

This right here is the part that worries me. Screening a goalie is laughably ineffective, as you have to be right on top of him and even then sometimes he still magically reacts to the puck being shot, despite no possible way of seeing it come off the shooters stick. IMO, for this battle in front of the net to not just be a senseless addition, deflections and screens need to be much more effective especially against human goalies. I would love to be able to cut to the slot off the half board and feel like I can snipe a human goalie because there is traffic.

While I don't want them to have "always goals" I do want wrist shots from scoring areas to feel like they are threatening chances, if I get a 2 on 1 I want to be able to blow a wrist shot past a goalie without having to do some stupid unrealistic animation. Breakaways as well, it's frustrating playing a breakaway where the goalie is deep in his net, giving a bit of room and even though I place the shot he just snags it like it's nothing. I also think any type of lateral movement from a goalie (ai or manual) should leave the 5 hole vulnerable so that goals like this are possible http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2Gk_bigKZE

[FBeaule04]

To add to Stew comments, in the NHL, most of the goals are coming from two things. Great settings of play or great work. Goals like Bieksa against the Sharks aren't the average goal scored in the NHL. It's plays like we saw for the Bruins in the 7th game agains the Lightning (or last night for the Canucks) or goals we see on the PP where the puck moves and the goalie can't cover.

In NHL 11, most of the goals you see will come from a dangle and then a shot. If not, it will come from an exploit of the weakness in the game, like a toe-drag or some kind of a deke.

For exemple, just take the best shooters in NHL 11 against the worst goalies of the league. Try shootout mode without deking at all and shoot from close-range. How many goals will get in? If 1 puck goes in from straight shooting, you are lucky.

There's no reward for nice play in NHL 11 and I'm affraid it's going to be the same in NHL 12. A goalie in that game will stop everything close range, even moving pretty fast to stop a point-blank on cross-crease. In the same time, a guy will lose a puck, put a deke on to hide the puck, shoot with the toe-drag and the goalie will still be on his knees and out of play.

I'm sorry to say, but as far as realism, NHL 11 is having a grade of 2/10.

[GrandMaster B]

Hope they fix the goalie passing...the flip is good to clear the zone....but they should add an animation where the goalie uses his goalie stick behind the net and with one hand slaps it around the boards. The left trigger passing for goalies is horrendous.

[stew514]

Quote: Originally Posted by FBeaule04

To add to Stew comments, in the NHL, most of the goals are coming from two things. Great settings of play or great work. Goals like Bieksa against the Sharks aren't the average goal scored in the NHL. It's plays like we saw for the Bruins in the 7th game agains the Lightning (or last night for the Canucks) or goals we see on the PP where the puck moves and the goalie can't cover. In NHL 11, most of the goals you see will come from a dangle and then a shot. If not, it will come from an exploit of the weakness in the game, like a toe-drag or some kind of a deke. For exemple, just take the best shooters in NHL 11 against the worst goalies of the league. Try shootout mode without deking at all and shoot from close-range. How many goals will get in? If 1 puck goes in from straight shooting, you are lucky. There's no reward for nice play in NHL 11 and I'm affraid it's going to be the same in NHL 12. A goalie in that game will stop everything close range, even moving pretty fast to stop a point-blank on cross-crease. In the same time, a guy will lose a puck, put a deke on to hide the puck, shoot with the toe-drag and the goalie will still be on his knees and out of play. I'm sorry to say, but as far as realism, NHL 11 is having a grade of 2/10.

You don't really see a lot of goals scored off of a dangle and a shot playing 6 v 6, but if you are playing competitive 6 v 6 you aren't going to see a lot of shots from the slot because the success rate just isn't there. If you get a 1 on 1 on a defender with a human goalie you won't even think about trying to use him as a screen and snipe one past the goalie, you're just going to try and get as close as you can or hope that he panics and moves.

Personally as a hardcore EASHL player I want them to make one timers way more difficult, make it tougher to just roof rebounds from 2 feet away, but greatly increase the usefulness of wrist shots and backhanders from scoring areas.

[FBeaule04]

Quote: Originally Posted by stew514

You don't really see a lot of goals scored off of a dangle and a shot playing 6 v 6, but if you are playing competitive 6 v 6 you aren't going to see a lot of shots from the slot because the success rate just isn't there. If you get a 1 on 1 on a defender with a human goalie you won't even think about trying to use him as a screen and snipe one past the goalie, you're just going to try and get as close as you can or hope that he panics and moves. Personally as a hardcore EASHL player I want them to make one timers way more difficult, make it tougher to just roof rebounds from 2 feet away, but greatly increase the usefulness of wrist shots and backhanders from scoring areas.

Understand what you mean. I'm mostly play 2 vs 2 and what I see is always the same crap, exploits, glitches, etc. Dangling in these situation (and offline play) is out of control in this game.

If competitve 6 vs 6 is the standard base mode, then I'll shut my mouth for NHL 12, but EA has to let me know that it's the way it's programmed for and consider this, any AI lapses is normal since there not suppose to be in the game to begin with...

[Vic1]

This news is literally worthless to me unless they add two things:

1. Goalie fatigue. Self explanatory.

2. Dynamic goalies in franchise. Not every team has a Brodeur or a Luongo, so stop acting like every goalie in this game is a starting goalie. Platoons happen. A LOT. Riding the hot goalie, benching the cold one, so common in the league but never ever in this game.

[mkharsh33]

Quote: Originally Posted by Vic1

1. Goalie fatigue. Self explanatory. 2. Dynamic goalies in franchise. Not every team has a Brodeur or a Luongo, so stop acting like every goalie in this game is a starting goalie. Platoons happen. A LOT. Riding the hot goalie, benching the cold one, so common in the league but never ever in this game.

THIS, THIS and MORE OF THIS!!!!!

Also, let's see MORE SEPARATION in goalie ratings. EA really hacks me off in that they want EVERY player to start at a rating of around 80. Come on, EA, if a guy sucks, the make him suck. I'm tired of a backup goalie playing like Patrick Roy against me.

There should be HOT and COLD streaks, and add FATIGUE.

I've already traded in NHL 11 for NHL 2K10... If NHL 12 is more of the same, you're not getting a cent from me. This franchise is going nowhere...

(and before I get labeled a 2K fanboy, this is my FIRST EVER 2k Hockey game. I'm fed up with EA...).

[Jattbreed]

So this is the HUGE announcement? Come on.....