NHL 12 Info & Media Thread

[jar_e]

^^That exact play can happen in NHL 11.

[likwid888]

Actually in an interview, they said AI has been improved quite a bit. They specifically mentioned that CPU will no longer sit there and pass back and forth to one another, and will actually move around to find open space during PP's.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by kirant

2:56 - Anybody else notices that the Pens player lost the puck while skating? Does that mean there will be emphasis on puck control players?

Originally Posted by jar_e

^^That exact play can happen in NHL 11.

And NHL 10.

All that play was is a guy using the speed boost button while skating with the puck. It makes you go faster but you often lost control of the puck.

[kirant]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

And NHL 10.

All that play was is a guy using the speed boost button while skating with the puck. It makes you go faster but you often lost control of the puck.

Huh...odd. I used speed boost all the time and only ever lost the puck if I tried to make a sharp turn. Even guys like McGrattan would hold on to the puck screaming down the wing.

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by likwid888

Actually in an interview, they said AI has been improved quite a bit. They specifically mentioned that CPU will no longer sit there and pass back and forth to one another, and will actually move around to find open space during PP's.

Wow, if that's all they improved I'll be pissed. The AI is completely broken at every facet of the game. Defense, Offense, PP, PK, breaking out, back checking, when to line change.

Also, when I get a PP I want my first unit on the ice to start a PP off. I hate when both lines will have the exact same stamina minus one little bar off for my top unit, so the game sends out line 2 instead.

Like come on, really?!?!

[flamesfan6]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

Wow, if that's all they improved I'll be pissed. The AI is completely broken at every facet of the game. Defense, Offense, PP, PK, breaking out, back checking, when to line change.

Also, when I get a PP I want my first unit on the ice to start a PP off. I hate when both lines will have the exact same stamina minus one little bar off for my top unit, so the game sends out line 2 instead.

Like come on, really?!?!

don't do auto line changes.... or override the auto line changes

[likwid888]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

Wow, if that's all they improved I'll be pissed. The AI is completely broken at every facet of the game. Defense, Offense, PP, PK, breaking out, back checking, when to line change.

Also, when I get a PP I want my first unit on the ice to start a PP off. I hate when both lines will have the exact same stamina minus one little bar off for my top unit, so the game sends out line 2 instead.

Like come on, really?!?!

I said those are the things they specifically mentioned. I highly doubt that is all they will be doing and I'm sure they are very aware of the obvious issues. They also made it very clear that they will not allow the deke left, deke right and shoot goal to work every single time on a breakaway like it does now.

[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

Originally Posted by kirant

2:56 - Anybody else notices that the Pens player lost the puck while skating? Does that mean there will be emphasis on puck control players?

No, if you press left trigger while you have the puck he sort of pushes it ahead.

[bubbsy]

those gameplay vids are extremely disappointing. the puck is still glued to players' sticks, sticks are going through the puck carrier's stick with zero impact. players are being nudged with no impact to the puck carrier's possession of the puck. and seems like skating past dmen is extremely easy.

so far this game looks like what nhl 11 should have been.

[RockOnRoberts]

Originally Posted by kirant

2:56 - Anybody else notices that the Pens player lost the puck while skating? Does that mean there will be emphasis on puck control players?

No. I think that's just L2 or LT, which pushes the puck forward and makes you skate faster.

[bubbsy]

man, the nhl franchise announcements so far are just such baby steps..

check out the "DPP" feature added in madden

http://www.ea.com/madden-nfl/videos/...ormance-sizzle

http://www.ea.com/madden-nfl/videos/...ormance-sizzle

perfect mechanism to create hot and cold streaks in pro sports as can be sort of seen in the franchise improvement vid (also watch 3:40 to see the draft enhancements!):

http://www.ea.com/madden-nfl/videos/playbook-franchise


nhl gets helmets falling off, more hit physics, and an outdoor arena. Whoopdie-doo.

[bubbsy]

ughh, reading through some more blogs about madden is making me even more disappointed in what's been announced for nhl12.

Here are some highlights from a blog about franchise mode enhancements, almost all of which would be so useful in nhl also (http://www.ea.com/madden-nfl/blog/franchise-mode):

Franchise Mode Dynamic Player Performance


I play every sports game on the market and I’ve always been frustrated by the fact that when I play a career or season mode, every game I play feels exactly the same. The players always play exactly like their ratings and there’s no such thing as having a good or bad day. It’s the one thing that has always ruined the immersion factor for me.


...
Think of it in the old adage of “Any Given Sunday” – there are a multitude of factors that impact how a player performs each week, and this is now replicated in Franchise mode.
If a player is inconsistent, you could see pretty significant rating swings from week-to-week.
One week you might get the 90 overall Michael Vick and the next week you might get the 70 overall Michael Vick. Or you could just get the 80 overall Michael Vick.
If a player is very consistent, their ratings will only change slightly each week and you’ll typically always know what you’re getting (example: Peyton Manning or Tom Brady).
Building around these players (and finding them in free agency and the draft) provides an entirely new layer of strategy to the game.


New Rookie Scouting System
At the start of the regular season, every draft rookie’s ratings are locked.
During each stage, you’re allowed to select a limited number of players to scout and the stage itself determines which ratings will be unlocked.
If you scout a player during the Combine stage, you will unlock his physical ratings like speed, agility and strength. If you scout them in Pro Days, you’ll unlock some of his intangibles.
If you choose to scout him during individual workouts, you’ll unlock everything…including his potential and traits. The catch is that you can only scout a small amount of players during individual workouts…so you’ll need to unlock as much information as you can before you get there.


New Free Agent Bidding Feature
When you enter free agency, you’ll need to be ready to go. This year’s feature is very fast paced and it’s designed to be hectic. You need to make decisions quickly as you target players since the other teams are not waiting for you.
You’ll face off against the other 31 teams in an interactive bidding environment as you try to win the rights to sign the player to a contract of your choosing.
If another team outbids you, just press a button to increase the bid and become the leader.


Player Roles
There are more than 20 different roles that players can earn in Franchise mode, including “QB of the Future”, “Mentor” and “Fumble Prone”.
We’ve even added a handful of new roles like ‘Playoff Performer’, ‘Trench Warrior’ and ‘Iron Man’.
...
Most of the roles will have an in-game impact. Shutdown Corner, for instance, impacts the ratings of the player that has it AND the QB on the opposing team.
The roles are earned or lost based on defined criteria every offseason so players will not keep them forever. Most of the roles come with logic that changes how teams approach the draft and free agency. If a team has a ‘QB of the Future’ on the roster, they will not draft a QB in the first round of the draft.
If you have a mentor on your roster, he makes the young players better as long as he’s on the team.


Franchise Mode Dynamic Gameplans
In Franchise mode, if Manning gets hurt or retires, the team will adjust their play calling so that they run the ball more if they have a lower rated QB at the helm until he progresses enough to be able to throw the ball 30-40 times a game.


New Coach Impacts
Coaches now impact players on the field positively AND negatively by a small amount.
This is meant to emulate the strengths and weaknesses that each coach has.

[Hockeyguy15]

Bigger audience = more profit = bigger design team.

The day Madden comes out might as well be a national holiday, it's no wonder they get better treatment then NHL.

[bubbsy]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

Bigger audience = more profit = bigger design team.

The day Madden comes out might as well be a national holiday, it's no wonder they get better treatment then NHL.

true, but based on the features announced thus far, the nhl franchise must barely be afloat in comparison to madden.

[fredr123]

A bit off topic, but has EA said anything about bringing out a new NHL Slapshot for the Wii this year?

[Icon]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

ughh, reading through some more blogs about madden is making me even more disappointed in what's been announced for nhl12.

Here are some highlights from a blog about franchise mode enhancements, almost all of which would be so useful in nhl also (http://www.ea.com/madden-nfl/blog/franchise-mode):

The Scouting & Free Agent signing parts would transfer easy to NHL, and be great fits IMO... just a matter of time before they're added I think.

[kirant]

Originally Posted by Icon

The Scouting & Free Agent signing parts would transfer easy to NHL, and be great fits IMO... just a matter of time before they're added I think.

Same with the game-to-game consistency part...if they told us how the consistency stat worked! (I'm still perplex by it. It seems goalies with 0 consistency have just as many off nights as goalies with 2...)

[Diverce]

I like what they are doing with Madden. And even though Madden does have more money for development, I can't see how hard it would be to share coding. I'm not a computer guy by any means so I could be wrong, but it would be nice if they all worked together. Create some consistency among all the franchises.

Either way, I hope that the video that they showed from E3 are just works in progress and that it's going to get better. One can only hope though. Sucks cause I'll still probably buy it

[Weiser Wonder]

It seems like they are concentrating on gimmicky stuff that's only cool the first time you see it rather than concentrating on actual gameplay. I really don't give a #### if a player's helmet can fall off from a hit.

[secol]

man madden sounds sick.....i might actually skip nhl 12 and just get madden 12 instead