NHL 19: Wish List

[Dick Sledge]

EASHL -

Bring back attribute allocation.

The NHL is filled with different players. Why can't we all have the same resource pool and allocate our points how we want?

So much this.

Also, I know it won't happen, dedicated servers. I'm tired of playing EASHL when my screen freezes then goes into fact forward mode. Or my player being clearly sluggish as well as having a hell of an input delay. Before anyone says it, my connection is fine. It's elite, generational if you will.

Lastly, and no offense, but as soon as my EASHL team gets into a game where the team has "QC" in their name or Montreal or almost anything French Canadian I know to back out. Because that game is going to be frustrating trash for me.

 

[WeThreeKings]

So much this.

Also, I know it won't happen, dedicated servers. I'm tired of playing EASHL when my screen freezes then goes into fact forward mode. Or my player being clearly sluggish as well as having a hell of an input delay. Before anyone says it, my connection is fine. It's elite, generational if you will.

Lastly, and no offense, but as soon as my EASHL team gets into a game where the team has "QC" in their name or Montreal or almost anything French Canadian I know to back out. Because that game is going to be frustrating trash for me.

Lol my buddy and i have the same rule regarding QC names. It's a glitch fest with people abusing the turning mechanics.

 

[Dick Sledge]

Lol my buddy and i have the same rule regarding QC names. It's a glitch fest with people abusing the turning mechanics.

What's funny is when a team scores a certain way you know 100% they're going to try that one move the rest of the game.

From my understanding there's a server in Montreal? I'm in Pittsburgh so we get screwed on connection a lot. It's frustrating when I see other human controlled players blazing up and down the ice while our guys feel like they're in sludge.

We steamrolled up until division 4 or 3 where we started running into more QC teams.

 

[ElectricDreamMachine]

Salary cap for HUT competitive seasons.

 

[Cor]

Gameplay
- Frostbite engine. The game is at a point now where there is so much put into it, but the engine can't handle it. Frostbite would make a huge different.
- I dunno if EA does it on purpose, but whenever the CPU hits, or pokechecks me, the puck goes loose or seemingly goes to the other team. However, when I hit or pokecheck the CPU, the puck either goes to another player on their team, or it just sits under the player I knocked down until they get up and just have the puck again. I think the engine could have something to do with it, but if not, fix it.
- Oh, another thing, the CPU movements drives me nuts. They will just stop and then skate left, stop and then skate right, and it just looks so unnatural.

Franchise
- Update player moral. It's something I want to use, but it doesn't make sense. Players end up pissed off for no reason. For example, Connor Brown was on my third line, the team was winning a lot, he was doing solid enough, yet he was pissed. I can understand if a player is playing below his "role" on a losing team, but on a winning team playing at or just below his "role", it doesn't make sense for them to suddenly be mad.
- Depth. Start adding depth. Put back in the playable all-star game. Figure out some sort of Trade Deadline interface. Use the FIFA transfer deadline one, I don't know, but it needs to be better. Same thing with Free Agency.
- ECHL integration. I think it's been mentioned, but nothing is more annoying than having to edit the lines to put my lower ranked prospects into the AHL lineup. If I could just place them in the ECHL, the could get top minutes there.
- Tweak Development. The fact that development is no longer guaranteed is great. Sure, I could find a top 6 player in round 7, but I also need to develop them properly. However, I find the average development is waaay too slow. It shouldn't take a medium top 6, late first round pick 4 years to get into the NHL.
- Tweak Draft prospects. This year was definitely an improvement, but keep going. You need to have undrafted players develop in juniors, so not everyone from pick 22 onwards is 53-55 overall. There really shouldn't be any player in the first round below 63ish. Drafting players at 53 overall means they don't have any sort of identity, it's just the base ratings behind a name and a player type.
- Continue to improve CPU GM AI. Once again it's better, but still needs to improve.

Be A Pro
- Either f***ing overhaul it, or just remove it. It's quiet pathetic and sad in the current state.

 

[Nickmo82]

The ability to retire numbers would be nice.

Also, some sort of suspension mechanic?

 

[Elvs]

I wish players could have a secondary position and also a secondary player type. It makes for more realism and it also becomes easier to juggle lines and still have chemistry.

For instance:

Henrik Zetterberg
center/left wing
playmaker/two-way forward

 

[CourtneyDagger50]

I wish scouts told you what type of player you're looking at
(poor, okay, great) penalty killer, power play specialiast, shooter, shot blocker

etc.
You see guys with high defensive ratings with terrible +/- ratings on fine teams. and players with great offensive stats that don't put up points.

 

[SPV]

My list is actually getting smaller. This year's game isn't half bad

Roster sharing

Give me generated portrait photos for created players & drafted prospects. They already have the face profile when I make up a guy, just use that!!

Better scouting, the draft is better this year, the prospects are better; but rework the scouting assignments; and make an ISS report that shows the top 50 guys or so.

Make a slider that separates the threshold for the speed of players, like Madden has.

Make a slider for passing vs. shooting for the CPU. I'd like to see them just fire the puck more often; and I'm sure some people would like to see it less.

Add custom music, the Show uses it, so it can be done!

 

[Igor Shestyorkin]

Gameplay
- Frostbite engine. The game is at a point now where there is so much put into it, but the engine can't handle it. Frostbite would make a huge different.
- I dunno if EA does it on purpose, but whenever the CPU hits, or pokechecks me, the puck goes loose or seemingly goes to the other team. However, when I hit or pokecheck the CPU, the puck either goes to another player on their team, or it just sits under the player I knocked down until they get up and just have the puck again. I think the engine could have something to do with it, but if not, fix it.
- Oh, another thing, the CPU movements drives me nuts. They will just stop and then skate left, stop and then skate right, and it just looks so unnatural.

Franchise
- Update player moral. It's something I want to use, but it doesn't make sense. Players end up pissed off for no reason. For example, Connor Brown was on my third line, the team was winning a lot, he was doing solid enough, yet he was pissed. I can understand if a player is playing below his "role" on a losing team, but on a winning team playing at or just below his "role", it doesn't make sense for them to suddenly be mad.
- Depth. Start adding depth. Put back in the playable all-star game. Figure out some sort of Trade Deadline interface. Use the FIFA transfer deadline one, I don't know, but it needs to be better. Same thing with Free Agency.
- ECHL integration. I think it's been mentioned, but nothing is more annoying than having to edit the lines to put my lower ranked prospects into the AHL lineup. If I could just place them in the ECHL, the could get top minutes there.
- Tweak Development. The fact that development is no longer guaranteed is great. Sure, I could find a top 6 player in round 7, but I also need to develop them properly. However, I find the average development is waaay too slow. It shouldn't take a medium top 6, late first round pick 4 years to get into the NHL.
- Tweak Draft prospects. This year was definitely an improvement, but keep going. You need to have undrafted players develop in juniors, so not everyone from pick 22 onwards is 53-55 overall. There really shouldn't be any player in the first round below 63ish. Drafting players at 53 overall means they don't have any sort of identity, it's just the base ratings behind a name and a player type.
- Continue to improve CPU GM AI. Once again it's better, but still needs to improve.

Be A Pro
- Either ****ing overhaul it, or just remove it. It's quiet pathetic and sad in the current state.

I like this list, and completely agree on Be a Pro.

They need to completely revamp it or just get rid of it. I'd love a revamp into a Live The Life or more of a Story mode. I want to do BAP but there is nothing interesting about it and the gameplay is flat out terrible.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

The ability to assign things to make people grow in certain attributes. Like there's no way my 18 year old centre draft pick with a 61 face-off rating stays at a 61 at the age of 29. Every other attribute that can be improved improves. Why does he still suck at face-offs?

 

[mw2noobbuster]

-Roster sharing
-Any sort of attention to Be a Pro, it's been neglected for so long now.
-Better scouting in Franchise.
-Overhaul the attributes, there's little separation between a good player and a not so good player.
-More songs in the soundtrack.
-Better evolution in attributes for Be a Pro, a way to increase skating on the ice without allocating training hours.
-Secondary positions.
-An easier way to block shots as a D-man on the rush.

 

[MillanDynasty]

I wish players could have a secondary position and also a secondary player type. It makes for more realism and it also becomes easier to juggle lines and still have chemistry.

For instance:

Henrik Zetterberg
center/left wing
playmaker/two-way forward

It'd be even greater if not all players had secondary and tertiary positions and player types. It would mean the world to have a Franchise center who's a capable Sniper/Playmaker/2 Way Forward.

It would really help to differentiate players from the pack. I'm so tired of seeing 99 overall snipers score 23 goals with an 82 overall on their wing who scores 57 goals with a 3 star shot rating. WHO MAKES THIS SHIT ?

 

[CourtneyDagger50]

It'd be even greater if not all players had secondary and tertiary positions and player types. It would mean the world to have a Franchise center who's a capable Sniper/Playmaker/2 Way Forward.

It would really help to differentiate players from the pack. I'm so tired of seeing 99 overall snipers score 23 goals with an 82 overall on their wing who scores 57 goals with a 3 star shot rating. WHO MAKES THIS **** ?

Yeah that is really frustrating. Why sign or draft a sniper if they don't even put up more goals than other play types?

 

[CasusBelli]

What do I want from NHL 19? No buyer's remorse.

 

[Nickmo82]

No ice tilt. No BS artificial parity machine in the f***ing game, please. Don't make my goalie a 3 GA on 10 shots scrub and theirs a 44 save shut out monster. Who finds that fun? Who thought that it was a good idea? Get it gone.

 

[CasusBelli]

No ice tilt. No BS artificial parity machine in the ****ing game, please. Don't make my goalie a 3 GA on 10 shots scrub and theirs a 44 save shut out monster. Who finds that fun? Who thought that it was a good idea? Get it gone.

Been wishing for that since, what, NHL14? Maybe earlier? NHL 2004 still feels like the best of the EA NHL releases (all things considered).

 

[bucks_oil]

I've bought every version since the one in my Avatar (that's NHL 93 on Sega for you youngins'... first in the franchise).

I'd been screaming for "the right stick is the hockey stick" since 2006 and they finally (sorta) did it, in a very EA way (imperfect of course). I mean, in real life I don't have to hold down a shift-key (R1) to use my real hockey stick when I'm on defense... why should I in EA? Anyway...

I find myself willing to FINALLY not buy the game next year. The promised changes to gameplay have left me unimpressed (as usual) and the ice-tilt in Be a GM is worse than ever. The number of BS goals in the last minute of a period is just silly... (both for and against me). I just can't tolerate it any more. If they want to change how the last minute of a period feels, I get it... but focus on ONLY aggression, since that's more realistic, rather than simultaneously making goalies sieves, 5'9 forwards un-checkable, uncontrolled D-men inexplicably wandering away from perfect positioning and 90% of any mistake you do ends up in the back of your net... or 75% of the floater shots you take end up going in.

It's comical and frustrating.

So:
1) No ice tilt
2) Frostbite, because I'm hopeful it will breath life into the stale gameplay
3) The RS is the stick, no need for a shift button (R1) for the basic functionality
4) There are still annoying, thoughtless, inconsistencies in the menu navigation. Take a lesson from Apple or every modern OS since Nokia phones, the "forward" is always forward and the "menu/back" is always menu/back... on EVERY SCREEN.

To me the whole series just feels like years of poor quality control finding its way into code and never being corrected. This leads to a generally devolving product.

 

[bucks_oil]

PS... EA, do you know why "ice tilt" ISN'T required? Because in real life it happens because of PEOPLE.

Why don't you just leave it to me to make that bone-head play rather than jacking up the computer's attributes? You don't need to artificially introduce randomness... we'll do it ourselves.... we're HUMAN.

(as above, having the computer adjust strategy, play more agressively is as far as your coding should go... and even then, an option to turn it off)

PPS: You must think we are stupid... everyone here knows that a good way to get a cheap goal is to fire a low slapper when you are on the PK. That'll never go in any other time during the game, but the probability is ramped way up when I'm short handed. Another example of EA "trying to hard" with Ice-Tilt... or probably more to the case, coding something a decade ago and forgetting it there for years.

 

[raymond23]

Worse AI. I can't believe people still complain the AI suck. They're unstoppable and it ruined the online experience besides club.

 

[MillanDynasty]

The AI makes it very difficult to set the sliders to a point where you don't totally dominate them for 60 minutes, but where you still have a chance of scoring a goal or two in a game.

It's dreadful.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Internal budgets and toned down contract demands. By year 3 every team has maxed out cap and 6/7 D man that want 2-4 million dollars.

So much this. I shouldn't always need to be rebuilding my team because everyone wants 7-8 million. Especially when they are putting up 25-30 points and are on my third line. Especially when other teams 3rd line is being paid 8-9 million combined.

 

[DXStriker]

Roster Sharing and/or Better Scouting .
Give me one of these things please lol
Both would be amazing .

I am guessing NHL 19 will be a year where they take things away(expansion) for something dumb to put in

 

[PatrikBerglund]

With today's technology and internet speeds, why is there such a delay in motion on EASHL?

 

[Nickmo82]

The AI makes it very difficult to set the sliders to a point where you don't totally dominate them for 60 minutes, but where you still have a chance of scoring a goal or two in a game.

It's dreadful.

My experience playing the game for the past week has been akin to trying to get the temperature in the shower JUST RIGHT.

Tweak the sliders; play. Tweak 'em again. Test it out. Tweak. Test. Tweak. Test.

Oh what fun.