NHL 13 DEMO Thoughts

[kirant]

Originally Posted by likwid888

I also find the offensive CPU AI to still be ######ed. I like to cycle the puck and play along the boards, but they all seem to crash the net regardless of what I have my strategy set to. It sucks having 2 forwards tied up in the front of the net by defenders all the time.

I personally get frusterated in NHL12 when I'm pinned to the boards and they just stand there, waiting for me to lose the puck. Did I just never learn the "Call for Help" button or something?

(Was that improved in NHL13?)

[Yamer]

I'm not sure how many of you have gone back and played some NHL 12, but to me it feels like going back and playing a slapped-together arcade version of video game hockey. Apart from some visuals and animations, I can't believe it's even the same studio let alone the same series.

As much as I may have picked apart the game in my last post, I think I must yet change my tune again and say this will be a $65 (+/-) purchase on September 11. It just feels so much more authentic than last year.

[IgiTang]

There are some things that i love about the 13 Demo and some things that I find very strange and wonder if they will be in the final release...

I love the shooting mechanics. Very similar to 12 but a bit more crisp in the animation and a bit more realism regarding velocity.

Passing is tough, im having trouble making simple 10 foot tape to tape passes. Too hard, too soft... but sometimes to the completely wrong guy. Im wondering if they have a default pass assist on and the computer is chosing which guy im going to pass to rather then the direction im passing. IE, to slot not the point from the corner.

The skating is a bit quirky, I love the quick step and turning is more realistic at full speed. But im noticing alot of "power stopping" when going at slow speeds and making a turn. I think they need to spend a bit more time perfecting this part of the game.

Getting pinned to the boards. This can happen when you are over two arm lengths away from a forechecker behind your own net.. And you cant get out of it anymore.. you have to wait to be bailed out by a teamate or turn the puck over.

Over all, I love the direction EA is going but I have a strong feeling this game will be a $80(collector edition), year long Beta test.

[secol]

Originally Posted by IgiTang

Passing is tough, im having trouble making simple 10 foot tape to tape passes. Too hard, too soft... but sometimes to the completely wrong guy. Im wondering if they have a default pass assist on and the computer is chosing which guy im going to pass to rather then the direction im passing. IE, to slot not the point from the corner.

i'm pretty sure your pass power has a lot to do with this....hold longer and you'll pass to the point, shorter and you'll hit the slot guy

[IgiTang]

Originally Posted by secol

i'm pretty sure your pass power has a lot to do with this....hold longer and you'll pass to the point, shorter and you'll hit the slot guy

Hmm, i will check that out. But 12 wasnt that way. i never noticed anyway..

[calumniate]

Yeah, the board tie-ups are a bit ridiculous. Especially when the comp is dumping and chasing all the time. I hate Phoenix even more now!

[FlamesKickAss]

I found a wayto get around that if you have help back there is to swat the loose puck away as you get to it.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by secol

i'm pretty sure your pass power has a lot to do with this....hold longer and you'll pass to the point, shorter and you'll hit the slot guy

I haven't heard of this at all either. I find the same issues that Igitang is finding. Many of my passes back to the point end up going between my defenders stick and body... a little frustrating. I imagine it's something that can be tweaked fairly easily with a slider. On that thought, is the GM connected mode merely a GM mode that we can all jump into, or is it an environment set up by EA that we play in? Do we have control over sliders and such?

edit: From the GM Connected thread I see that Joborule posted that we will NOT have slider control beyond standard difficulty, period length etc. This saddens me, but I'm still excited.

[Mitch]

Originally Posted by Russic

I haven't heard of this at all either. I find the same issues that Igitang is finding. Many of my passes back to the point end up going between my defenders stick and body... a little frustrating. I imagine it's something that can be tweaked fairly easily with a slider.

Basically to make the game more realistic. If your right beside your team-mate and he passes it to you at a very fast speed the puck isn't just going to sit on your stick on impact. It will bounce off. If you try to pass it across the ice when there is 2 defenders between you and your team-mate, the defenders shouldn't just sit there and watch the puck go past them. They will block it with there legs or sticks.

It basically forces people to make better decisions. Pass only if there is an open lane, don't pass at light speed if your team-mate is 5 feet ahead of you. I personally like this tweak that EA added.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Mitch

Basically to make the game more realistic. If your right beside your team-mate and he passes it to you at a very fast speed the puck isn't just going to sit on your stick on impact. It will bounce off. If you try to pass it across the ice when there is 2 defenders between you and your team-mate, the defenders shouldn't just sit there and watch the puck go past them. They will block it with there legs or sticks.

It basically forces people to make better decisions. Pass only if there is an open lane, don't pass at light speed if your team-mate is 5 feet ahead of you. I personally like this tweak that EA added.

I'm in agreement with you, but my issue is my D will sometimes miss a pass that isn't held down (it is quite slow) with nobody even close to them. It's strange that if there's an opponent between you and a teammate there is almost no chance the puck will get through, but if it's just teammate to teammate the pass reception is hit and miss at times.

[secol]

i usually chalk those up to puck aim...

[Diverce]

Originally Posted by Russic

I'm in agreement with you, but my issue is my D will sometimes miss a pass that isn't held down (it is quite slow) with nobody even close to them. It's strange that if there's an opponent between you and a teammate there is almost no chance the puck will get through, but if it's just teammate to teammate the pass reception is hit and miss at times.

I noticed too that when I pass to the d they miss it, even if they are within 6 to 8 feet from the puck, they can't get to it. I chalk it up to the new skating mechanic. In 12 you were full speed all the time, so he could make the move to the puck quicker. Now reaction time is slower, and if they have to turn around more often then not I find they will miss it. More reason why having your d playing off hand will be more difficult I think.

Was having trouble like most getting a cycle going. Found my teammates stood in front of the net. Noticed that when I passed the puck into the open corner my teammate would break the net battle and skate to the puck, so I just started putting the puck to open spots and the AI magically became smarter and I had some Sedinesque type cycles resulting in some nice goals. If I held on to the puck and danced, I found the cpu would just stand around waiting for me to either shoot it or pass it. Finding this game is more anticipation and leading your teammates, much like real hockey.

I'm liking this version more and more. Just hope they tune the goalies a bit, they like to over read the pass and leave the short side open all day. Although I shouldn't complain as that's my go to goal in EASHL

[kirant]

Originally Posted by Russic

edit: From the GM Connected thread I see that Joborule posted that we will NOT have slider control beyond standard difficulty, period length etc. This saddens me, but I'm still excited.

Wait...is that for a GM Connected league or for all modes? I've found a fairly happy medium in NHL 12 for realism via heavy slider edits (In particular, fatigue, attribute effects, shooting, and goaltender reaction is heavily edited) and might get NHL 13 if I can keep all those edits (adding in momentum balances and more team strategy customization)...but, no slider control over these things?

[likwid888]

Originally Posted by kirant

Wait...is that for a GM Connected league or for all modes? I've found a fairly happy medium in NHL 12 for realism via heavy slider edits (In particular, fatigue, attribute effects, shooting, and goaltender reaction is heavily edited) and might get NHL 13 if I can keep all those edits (adding in momentum balances and more team strategy customization)...but, no slider control over these things?

All offline modes allow you to tweak sliders.

[IgiTang]

Originally Posted by Mitch

Basically to make the game more realistic. If your right beside your team-mate and he passes it to you at a very fast speed the puck isn't just going to sit on your stick on impact. It will bounce off.

Yeah, im fully aware of pass power and how it works, thats not what frustrates me at all. I actually appreciate how realistic it is in 13 as opposed to previous. Further to that, players from different leagues/ lower leagues will have a hard time recieving passes from lets say Malkin/NHL'ers. Kinda cool.

Originally Posted by Mitch

If you try to pass it across the ice when there is 2 defenders between you and your team-mate, the defenders shouldn't just sit there and watch the puck go past them. They will block it with there legs or sticks.

It basically forces people to make better decisions. Pass only if there is an open lane, don't pass at light speed if your team-mate is 5 feet ahead of you. I personally like this tweak that EA added.

So a bit of what youre describing is a bit of pass assist, in that I mean...

if I want to pass to a guy with 3 opposition players between him and I and he is in the slot, i should have that right to make that poor decision. The game shouldnt decide for me that that is a poor play and pass it to someone who is somewhat in the same general direction. Im anticipating the pass to go somewhere else and atleast be isolated to a certain part of the rink should I not connect with the pass.
However, when the pass suddenly goes to the point man and its some bum (jaybo... Kidding) and he misses the pass or the auto-player change on a pass has me move said player away from the puck.

This is one thing i have always had an issue with and I figured EA would eventually figure this out in the game mechanics and clearly have not.

[secol]

an issue i have is that dropping the puck back to the point seems to be hit or miss even banking it softly off the boards which should be an easy gather for the D

[kirant]

Originally Posted by likwid888

All offline modes allow you to tweak sliders.

That makes more sense and what I suspected. I was just worried I'd end up with the rapid fire, high scoring game that the default setting turns into in all modes if you're offline.

[IgiTang]

Anyone playing HUT and beat LA yet? im on attempt 25 atleast... LOL. I feel so ashamed..

[vektor]

Originally Posted by IgiTang

So a bit of what youre describing is a bit of pass assist, in that I mean...

if I want to pass to a guy with 3 opposition players between him and I and he is in the slot, i should have that right to make that poor decision. The game shouldnt decide for me that that is a poor play and pass it to someone who is somewhat in the same general direction. Im anticipating the pass to go somewhere else and atleast be isolated to a certain part of the rink should I not connect with the pass.
However, when the pass suddenly goes to the point man and its some bum (jaybo... Kidding) and he misses the pass or the auto-player change on a pass has me move said player away from the puck.

This is one thing i have always had an issue with and I figured EA would eventually figure this out in the game mechanics and clearly have not.

funny how snes games gave you more control over passing than the current games. I feel exactly the same way as you, especially considering my go to move is to pass off the board to the winger but most of the time it goes to the centreman who is covered then I get control over the wrong guy only to have 3 guys out of position while the opposition has an odd man rush purely because the stupid game mechanics don't let you pass where you want.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by IgiTang

Anyone playing HUT and beat LA yet? im on attempt 25 atleast... LOL. I feel so ashamed..

I've beaten them once. It was a shootout that went about 13 rounds deep and I accidentally lost control during a deke and the puck slid 5-hole. One of the only shootouts I've won. If you're wondering I lost (in a shootout) in the finals. Good times. The other modes don't seem nearly as hard, but that damn HUT gets me every time.