NHL 19: Wish List

[filip85]

4.Have a international tournament with the possibility to substitute players from a national pool, i know the jerseys and logos may be hard to fix, but if it could it would be awesome.

This was possible in NHL 2005.

 

[Deku]

Well, to be fair, there is no amount of scouting that can give you an exact potential IRL either. The problem lies in them being a high chance top 6 forward pre draft and then once drafting them their potential changes to a medium top 9 forward.

Exactly. It's not that everyone should become exact, but without the ability to upgrade your scouting, you'd hope they'd be a bit more accurate.

 

[Deku]

The goalies: My biggest frustration with this game. The goalies are incapable of reading the play, just the puck. If a guy is on a partial breakaway with a dman on his left side(for a righty) hounding him on the backcheck, the forward has no way of crossing over the goalie on his backhand and scoring. The dman would poke that off him. The problem is that the goalie still bites on the backhand fake as if nobody is there and allows the easy goal short side. He should be able to read that his man is preventing the forward from getting to the far post and should cover the near post. That's not genius level AI. That needs to be fixed. I understand there will be high percentage goals no matter what they do with goaltending, but simple things like that shouldn't happen. No reason for my goalie to yard sale to his right when there is a dman covering that spot. Doesn't make any sense.

5 Hole: A large portion of real hockey goals are scored five hole, but it's almost impossible to purposely score 5 hole in this game. That shouldn't be the case.

Completely agree with you about the goalies. The worst is when the puck slowly slides right in front of them and they don't even react, even when an opposing forward is heading straight for it... when it would be so easy to just pick up the puck. 100% agree about the 5 hole too

 

[haveandare]

Show the opponents lines when you're at home so you can line match again. This was in the old games and should be really simple to re-insert. I still can't believe they took it out.

Also, just add more basic NHL logic into Be A Pro. I had my guy get drafted by the Devils and the team had Hischier on the bench all year and Brian Boyle playing defense on the second pair. That's just ridiculous and ruins any level of immersion the game presents. Also, let you actually negotiate your contracts and maybe offer some level of things one can do with the money they make. Also the old system of making choices for your player about advertising deals, lifestyle choices, etc was a cool idea but was implemented lazily. Adding that back in with more interaction and actual stakes would be nice.

 

[SouthGeorge]

Give the game to somebody else besides Rammer

 

[ArchAngel55]

Franchise and Be a Pro are completely ****ed. They need a total rework starting from the ground up before they are passable.

EASHL is better this year, no question. 3 on 3 is super fun when you don't have a full squad on and it allows you to be creative and have fun with a little time and space. That said there are a couple of things that still need major improvements:

Celebrations: I have no idea how group celebrations are not in the game. Watch any NHL game and after every single goal there is a group celebration, and there has been for as long as I've been watching hockey. Put it in the ****ing game. Allow us to do one of the premade celebrations and then they whole team comes over for helmet taps. Such an easy and obvious addition that would add something to the game.

The goalies: My biggest frustration with this game. The goalies are incapable of reading the play, just the puck. If a guy is on a partial breakaway with a dman on his left side(for a righty) hounding him on the backcheck, the forward has no way of crossing over the goalie on his backhand and scoring. The dman would poke that off him. The problem is that the goalie still bites on the backhand fake as if nobody is there and allows the easy goal short side. He should be able to read that his man is preventing the forward from getting to the far post and should cover the near post. That's not genius level AI. That needs to be fixed. I understand there will be high percentage goals no matter what they do with goaltending, but simple things like that shouldn't happen. No reason for my goalie to yard sale to his right when there is a dman covering that spot. Doesn't make any sense.

Deflections: Where did they go? I've seen like 3 deflection goals in EASHL in my couple hundred games. That shouldn't be the case. It should be a viable strategy to screen the goalie and deflect the puck, but it's not. The only time you'll ever make contact with it is if you block your own forward's shot. Screens and deflections should be viable.

5 Hole: A large portion of real hockey goals are scored five hole, but it's almost impossible to purposely score 5 hole in this game. That shouldn't be the case.

Please allow us to customize our players again. I understand you supposedly want to make sure it's a balanced experience for everyone and that just because someone plays the game a lot does not mean they should have an advantage(though many great online games work that way). Give us a set number of attribute points for each position and make things cheaper/more expensive based on the class chosen like they used to. Wrist shot accuracy for a sniper would be super cheap, allowing you to increase it quite a bit, but body checking would be really expensive. It would still be balanced because everyone would have the same amount of attribute points and would be able to create any build someone else uses. It would just add a layer of creativity and customization to a game that is lacking.

They said the reason they keep everyone even is so a new player can be on the same level as an experienced one. It makes no sense. They are more worried about getting new players than keeping the ones they already have.

 

[LeighDx59]

Hopefully they fix the Expansion Draft to allow custom rosters.

 

[ToppsSmith]

This is a must for the expansion to succeed.

 

[ArchAngel55]

Hopefully they fix the Expansion Draft to allow custom rosters.

Also allow you to trade to protect players but that could be too difficult.

I'd also wish the draft picks would be updated along with rosters. Schenn was traded at the draft and the Flyers never got the 1st 1st rd pick if you start before the draft but Schenn is on STL. I would put him on Philly then trade him to STL.

 

[Silencio]

A more realistic allotment of penalties/powerplays (no real world referee would ever give one team multiple back to back 5 on 3s, yet this happens all the time in NHL 18)

 

[LeighDx59]

Also allow you to trade to protect players but that could be too difficult.

I'd also wish the draft picks would be updated along with rosters. Schenn was traded at the draft and the Flyers never got the 1st 1st rd pick if you start before the draft but Schenn is on STL. I would put him on Philly then trade him to STL.

Or at bare minimum allow you to move draft picks when you edit your roster. Also on that note, itd be nice if the Draft rosters were constantly updated without making you download the most current roster. I finally edit everyone they way I want then they release a new roster download so all that work for nothing.

 

[Panthaz89]

The game as a whole would be 10x better without them putting 99% of the effort towards Hut and then adding in a couple things. Even though I liked 3s it would be nice if be a pro was something legitimate other than just playing games and a way to play quickly through a season without your coach calling you lazy. At least the drafts themselves have improved a lot but scouting is still pretty weird and wonky and the fact that there is no individual scouting is ridiculous.

 

[Devonator]

I am late to this discussion but is there any hope that this franchise will return to the PC format in the future? Thanks....

 

[sexydonut]

Kinda wish it (and the other sports games) showed up on Nintendo Switch. Nothing can beat the option of handheld portable play.

 

[Deku]

Hopefully they fix the Expansion Draft to allow custom rosters.

This x1000...... play a ton of GM mode but haven't touched expansion since like November due to the dated rosters we're forced to use

 

[AIexisLafreniereNYR]

I dont play anything besides GM Mode. But yeah NBA 2k GM mode is the best out there. I have zero doubt that EA will make any significant changes. I'm not expecting much, therefore I doubt I buy the game, unless they do make changes.

My wish list would include.. You'll see features mostly in NBA 2K

1. NHL Today. Favorite feature in 2k. It adds realism into the mode. I cannot play the game knowing how this season is played out a starting the mode from the beginning of the season. In 2k I like to take control half way or current date during the season. Real time statistics, standings, transactions, etc. So playing NHL GM Mode is too difficult to get in being spoiled with 2k. I know it would be hard due to the AHL being connected, but if EA has AHL copyrights why cant they find a way for that to be included? It would be game breaking to add a feature like this.

2. Realistic ratings. Finding a way to have production and potiental co-existing order to make for realism. How many players that wasnt exactly thought of highly ended up being a big time player? Many times. EA needs to add badges (like in NBA 2k) to personalize the players such as attitude, work ethic, etc. So maybe you can find hidden gems in the AHL or in free agency, as well as in the NHL that aren't being used properly. Maybe a coaching system can help see through talent and have a better idea of how to use them. Depending on how you develop, such as starting them to play for the AHL team will depend on how they progress throughout years of development, or finding chemistry on a line and breaking out or proving they can stick. I know it would be hard to personalize AHL players but trying to get a team to get as much access to each player could help identify them more. I would like for it to take consistency for a player with lower attributes to really make a name for himself, so maybe keeping him on a line with someone that really benefit with each other, as well as coming up big during playoffs can help increase attributes. For example:
•A player with a 78 rating, comes into the NHL halfway through the season and has solid chemistry his line and has 15 goals and 15 assists in 41 games, plays a round and in 7 games has 3 points, so then his rating improved from a 78 to 82 and he earns a badge or 2, maybe he improved and became a silver medal PK specialist. Then the next year his stats are 22 goals and 29 assists in 75 games, and in 21 playoff games he has 18 points, and becomes someone that can help the PP and his attributes increase from 82 to 85. Having badges such as high work ethic, forechecker, PK specialist, Stays in front of net (better name besides that) and really working on a PP badge.

BUT having inconsistent years wont increase attributes as much. So having someone go from 35 pts, to 55 pts, to 40 pts, to 35 pts, to 65 pts, back to 40 pts will keep him around 84-85 rating, instead of shooting up to a high rating after a big year, but keeping him to about the same, unless he begins to stay consistent.

3. Staff. Theres so many way a staff can be implemented into NHL 19. So I'll break it down a bit. Coaching staffs will have attributes that will make a difference if they're high end or on the lower end. High end of course can reveal much more than a coaching staff that isn't as highly skilled. Also it would be annoying during simulation to have these alerts, but it's a slow process anyways for teams to make transactions, anyway having a separate log on the simulation calendar showing the coaching preferences, while simulating can be a way to make it bearable. But I would find how important development in my wishlist to take it slow and make sure you dont miss out on important information that can make a huge difference, instead of just simulating seasons away and having the top prospects improve their rating. Each season can make a big impact due to chemistry and who can step in and make an impact.

Head Coaches: Different coaches has different methods and play styles, adding play styles can spice up the game play. Attributes will also make a difference in players buying into the HC, and attributes can change due to W/L ratio throughout a few seasons. So a coach that isnt grades high, can improve due to team success, and vice versa. Also during game play, you'll get indicators of where the coach would like to move the puck or defensive alignments that fits their coaching style.

Assistant coaches: In NHL 19 assistant coaches are like like scout for the team. The higher the attributes of the coach are, the more they see. So maybe you get alerted that a certain player could improve on another line, as well as demotions. Assistant coaches in this game can help identify the opposing teams play style, so before a game they will reveal what and who to look out for.

Assistant GM: Sometimes you can use a right hand to help guide. I would hope that having highly thought of AI's for the GM's across the NHL can make it realistic, so maybe your Assistant GM can help alert when certain teams are selling and buying properly. Also they can alert a player deserving of a promotion from the AHL or demotion to the AHL. Maybe an assistant GM can notify when your team needs help so besides a call up, maybe a certain FA that can fit in during a season can help, especially if there are injuries.

4. Draftees Pictures. A pet peeve is having a blank screen when the draftees are randomized. Like in NBA 2k ir MLB whatever they look like, have their picture be what their character looks like.

Yeah that's it, this is how I'd do it if I could. Lol

 

[Sabrefan99]

I would love to start at the draft. That’s one of my favorite times of year...sucks being a Sabres fan.

 

[KarlssonsGroin]

the biggest issue with the ratings is their insistance on including players below the AHL level.

AHL players should have the ratings the junior teams get, which would allow for the NHL players to have a much wider range of ratings than the typical 77-87 they have now

If 4th liners had ratings around 65-70, and scaled up from there, it would be much better imo

 

[Blame the referee]

THey just have to fix the gameplay...we should be able to play a fluid game

 

[SeattleSportsFan]

I am late to this discussion but is there any hope that this franchise will return to the PC format in the future? Thanks....

Nope... you should just get a PS4.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

Please let us change strategies using the D-Pad on Classic (Hybrid) Controls

 

[ArchAngel55]

Forgot my biggest issue... let me pick what side I play on defense in Be A Pro. Let me play LD while right handed instead of always making me play RD.

 

[CBJx614]

Forgot my biggest issue... let me pick what side I play on defense in Be A Pro. Let me play LD while right handed instead of always making me play RD.

I always play as a RD as a LH shooter. Im terrible on the left side, it's so frustrating.

 

[ArchAngel55]

I always play as a RD as a LH shooter. Im terrible on the left side, it's so frustrating.

I can play either but I prefer the left because it opens up the one timer.

 

[CBJx614]

I can play either but I prefer the left because it opens up the one timer.

I'm serviceable on the left, but I feel like things just flow better for me on the right. I can see a lot more from the right side I think.