Hey all,
About a month ago I got heavy back into playing NHL 15 offline. I had played it here and there previously, but like most I was turned off by the lack of EASHL (I mode I played a ton of on last gen). I didn't mind default game play, but there were definitely some aspects lacking. So I did what I always do - I came to the OS slider forums. After about 2 weeks of trying a couple of sets, I always came away with the same 2 feelings: "Man, this feels sluggish compared to watching hockey" and "My stars don't really feel any different than my role players". I then set out to do something I haven't done in a sports game in a long time (I think it's been since MVP Baseball) - create a slider set.
This sliders set is on default game speed/fatigue rates. There are actually a lot of parts of it that are default, and I'd like to thank OS user THESHAMISASHAME for that. I saw a post by him during my slideritis that reminded me that games are programmed on default levels, and that some sliders screw up more than we know. So without further ado (These are listed as they show in the main menu, not BeAGM where they've been tested the last few weeks):
GAMEPLAY SETTINGS
Quick Setings
Camera - Dynamic High (user choice)
Difficulty - All Star
Game Style - Custom (I started with Hardcore, if that matters)
Goalie Camera - High (user choice)
Period Length - 10 minutes
Rules - Custom
Shootout Camera - Dynamic Low (user choice)
Advanced Settings
Away Line Changes - Auto (user choice)
Away Shot Aim - Manual (user choice)
Home Line Changes - Auto (user choice)
Home Shot Aim - Manual (user choice)
Gameplay Version - Latest
Rules
Fighting - 1
Icing - Hybrid
Injuries - On
Offsides - Delayed
Penalties - 4 (max)
Penalty Time Scaling - 6 (max, allows time to set up Power Play)
Post Whistle Rules - Authentic
Tie Break - 5 Min (4 on 4) then Shootout
Gameplay Settings
General
Attribute Effect - 6 (max)
Broken Stick Frequency - 2
Game Speed - 3
Gameplay Version - Latest
Fatigue Effect - 3/3
Fatigue Recovery - 3/3
Injury Occurence - 3/3
Player Acceleration - 4/4
Puck Control - 2/2
Checking
Hitting Assitance - 0
Aggression - 5/5
Hitting Power - 2/2
Poke Effectiveness - 3/3
Stick Lift Effectiveness - 3/3
Passing
Manual Passing - On (need to be able to change the speed of passing on your own)
Pass Assist - 1 (User choice, I started with 2.)
Pass Speed - 3
Saucer Pass Speed - 3
Pass Accuracy - 0/0
Pass Interceptions - 4/4
Pass Reception Ease - 0/0
Shooting
One Timer Accuracy - 3/3
Shot Accuracy - 3/3
Shot Power - 3/3
Slap Shot Accuracy - 3/3
Slap Shot Power - 4/4
AI
AI Learning - 6 (MUST change your game up, can't so the same thing all game)
BAP Strategy Adjustment - 4 (only if you are playing BAP)
CPU Difficulty Adjustment - 1 (MOST important slider if the game is too easy/hard)
CPU Faceoff Difficulty - 4 (User choice, raise lower to your skill in the circle)
CPU Penalties - 6 (max, still would like to see more CPU penalties)
CPU Strategy Adjustment - 4 (same as AI learning, and they work in conjunction)
CPU Teammate Penalties - 3
Fight Difficulty - 3 (User Choice, I've flipped between 3 and 4)
User Strategy Adjustment - 0 or 4 (If you never touch the strategies, turn this to 4. It WILL help with CPU adjustments to you)
Goalies
Goalie Cover Frequency - 3
Goalie Passing - 5
Goalie Reaction Speed - 4/4
Goalie Screen Effect - 3/3 (been messing with 4/4 as well, but not decided)
Some explanations on my decisions:
Power Play Time Scaling - I never understood why people would have this any lower than max. It scales with whatever time scaling you already have. Why make PP shorter?
General - I fooled with Attribute Effect, and my conclusion is that at 6 is separates stars from 4th liners. I use the Caps, and Ovechkin finally feels like a superstar. As for fatigue - it's default. Players' TOI matches up with real life, and it doesn't slow the game down towards the end (but fatigue effects still show, especially with special teamers).
Checking - All default but aggression. Again, I really didn't see a need to fool with most of these sliders. Hitting is a bit overdone at times, but with Hit Power any lower the hit number go down (which drastically screws with momentum shifts). Aggression is raised to eliminate the user sitting back and cycling in the zone all day, and to force the user to decide what to do with the puck sooner.
Passing - You should be able to pass the puck faster than a player skates. That explains pass speed. The lowering of Accuracy and Reception Ease were to eliminate the tape to tape without lowering the fact that you are using NHL players with a puck. I toyed with raising Interceptions, but there is enough pucks being deflected as it stands (and you can still get some passes through the legs of defenders at times). USER YOUR SAUCER PASSES.
Shooting - Completely default. I saw a lot of sets with Accuracy at 0. I'm against this because again - you are nerfing your stars to be like 4th liners. When I have offensive powers on the ice, they should play like it.
AI - Strategy Adjustments. They happen in hockey. People that don't turn these sliders up to max are missing out on this (in my opinion). Learning is maxed to force users to change up their game and not use the same thing over and over. If you are owning the CPU, bump the CPU difficulty slider up 1 notch and play a few games instead of moving to Superstar (I feel SS has boosted attributes for the CPU, and that this slider doesn't show those same effects). I'd still like to see more User PP's, but I get 2-3 a game as is.
Goalies - Completely default except Cover Freq up one notch. With the normal game speed, goalies are perfect. DON'T LOWER GOALIE PASSING. You will see the goalie slide a puck from his glove once in a while, but lowering this slider nerfs active goalies unnecessarily. I love seeing goalies attempt to stop hard arounds that don't have the mustard they should. It's part of the NHL.
I hope you guys enjoy these, as I have. They definitely give a different feel than other sets on these forums, so please have an open mind going in, and play a few games before making a decision. Leave any and all feedback, and I'll try to answer when I can.
About a month ago I got heavy back into playing NHL 15 offline. I had played it here and there previously, but like most I was turned off by the lack of EASHL (I mode I played a ton of on last gen). I didn't mind default game play, but there were definitely some aspects lacking. So I did what I always do - I came to the OS slider forums. After about 2 weeks of trying a couple of sets, I always came away with the same 2 feelings: "Man, this feels sluggish compared to watching hockey" and "My stars don't really feel any different than my role players". I then set out to do something I haven't done in a sports game in a long time (I think it's been since MVP Baseball) - create a slider set.
This sliders set is on default game speed/fatigue rates. There are actually a lot of parts of it that are default, and I'd like to thank OS user THESHAMISASHAME for that. I saw a post by him during my slideritis that reminded me that games are programmed on default levels, and that some sliders screw up more than we know. So without further ado (These are listed as they show in the main menu, not BeAGM where they've been tested the last few weeks):
GAMEPLAY SETTINGS
Quick Setings
Camera - Dynamic High (user choice)
Difficulty - All Star
Game Style - Custom (I started with Hardcore, if that matters)
Goalie Camera - High (user choice)
Period Length - 10 minutes
Rules - Custom
Shootout Camera - Dynamic Low (user choice)
Advanced Settings
Away Line Changes - Auto (user choice)
Away Shot Aim - Manual (user choice)
Home Line Changes - Auto (user choice)
Home Shot Aim - Manual (user choice)
Gameplay Version - Latest
Rules
Fighting - 1
Icing - Hybrid
Injuries - On
Offsides - Delayed
Penalties - 4 (max)
Penalty Time Scaling - 6 (max, allows time to set up Power Play)
Post Whistle Rules - Authentic
Tie Break - 5 Min (4 on 4) then Shootout
Gameplay Settings
General
Attribute Effect - 6 (max)
Broken Stick Frequency - 2
Game Speed - 3
Gameplay Version - Latest
Fatigue Effect - 3/3
Fatigue Recovery - 3/3
Injury Occurence - 3/3
Player Acceleration - 4/4
Puck Control - 2/2
Checking
Hitting Assitance - 0
Aggression - 5/5
Hitting Power - 2/2
Poke Effectiveness - 3/3
Stick Lift Effectiveness - 3/3
Passing
Manual Passing - On (need to be able to change the speed of passing on your own)
Pass Assist - 1 (User choice, I started with 2.)
Pass Speed - 3
Saucer Pass Speed - 3
Pass Accuracy - 0/0
Pass Interceptions - 4/4
Pass Reception Ease - 0/0
Shooting
One Timer Accuracy - 3/3
Shot Accuracy - 3/3
Shot Power - 3/3
Slap Shot Accuracy - 3/3
Slap Shot Power - 4/4
AI
AI Learning - 6 (MUST change your game up, can't so the same thing all game)
BAP Strategy Adjustment - 4 (only if you are playing BAP)
CPU Difficulty Adjustment - 1 (MOST important slider if the game is too easy/hard)
CPU Faceoff Difficulty - 4 (User choice, raise lower to your skill in the circle)
CPU Penalties - 6 (max, still would like to see more CPU penalties)
CPU Strategy Adjustment - 4 (same as AI learning, and they work in conjunction)
CPU Teammate Penalties - 3
Fight Difficulty - 3 (User Choice, I've flipped between 3 and 4)
User Strategy Adjustment - 0 or 4 (If you never touch the strategies, turn this to 4. It WILL help with CPU adjustments to you)
Goalies
Goalie Cover Frequency - 3
Goalie Passing - 5
Goalie Reaction Speed - 4/4
Goalie Screen Effect - 3/3 (been messing with 4/4 as well, but not decided)
Some explanations on my decisions:
Power Play Time Scaling - I never understood why people would have this any lower than max. It scales with whatever time scaling you already have. Why make PP shorter?
General - I fooled with Attribute Effect, and my conclusion is that at 6 is separates stars from 4th liners. I use the Caps, and Ovechkin finally feels like a superstar. As for fatigue - it's default. Players' TOI matches up with real life, and it doesn't slow the game down towards the end (but fatigue effects still show, especially with special teamers).
Checking - All default but aggression. Again, I really didn't see a need to fool with most of these sliders. Hitting is a bit overdone at times, but with Hit Power any lower the hit number go down (which drastically screws with momentum shifts). Aggression is raised to eliminate the user sitting back and cycling in the zone all day, and to force the user to decide what to do with the puck sooner.
Passing - You should be able to pass the puck faster than a player skates. That explains pass speed. The lowering of Accuracy and Reception Ease were to eliminate the tape to tape without lowering the fact that you are using NHL players with a puck. I toyed with raising Interceptions, but there is enough pucks being deflected as it stands (and you can still get some passes through the legs of defenders at times). USER YOUR SAUCER PASSES.
Shooting - Completely default. I saw a lot of sets with Accuracy at 0. I'm against this because again - you are nerfing your stars to be like 4th liners. When I have offensive powers on the ice, they should play like it.
AI - Strategy Adjustments. They happen in hockey. People that don't turn these sliders up to max are missing out on this (in my opinion). Learning is maxed to force users to change up their game and not use the same thing over and over. If you are owning the CPU, bump the CPU difficulty slider up 1 notch and play a few games instead of moving to Superstar (I feel SS has boosted attributes for the CPU, and that this slider doesn't show those same effects). I'd still like to see more User PP's, but I get 2-3 a game as is.
Goalies - Completely default except Cover Freq up one notch. With the normal game speed, goalies are perfect. DON'T LOWER GOALIE PASSING. You will see the goalie slide a puck from his glove once in a while, but lowering this slider nerfs active goalies unnecessarily. I love seeing goalies attempt to stop hard arounds that don't have the mustard they should. It's part of the NHL.
I hope you guys enjoy these, as I have. They definitely give a different feel than other sets on these forums, so please have an open mind going in, and play a few games before making a decision. Leave any and all feedback, and I'll try to answer when I can.
Comment