Blues Forum Lounge (Home of All Things OT) - Part 2018

[Ranksu]

wow whatta fight by Woodley. Sick

 

[Dbrownss]

I get what you're saying, but in previous generations lots of kids played with yo-yos and slinkies. I didn't see adults continuing with those hobbies until adulthood. In prior generations did adults continue reading comic books into adulthood? But I digress. Everyone needs to do what is best for them. If a father is getting older and taking health risks that may affect other aspects of his life, that's his decision. People stop playing intensive sports as they get older too, that's normal. However, there are other healthy activities that older adults can do that involve less risk. I never said all people should play sports all the time, I just pointed out that not all hobbies are equal. Some could be seen as more productive than others, and a lot of that is objective. Parents used to make their kids go outside instead of watching tv or playing Nintendo all day, and they did so for a reason.

Not really interested in continuing this discussion, I've said my opinion and others have said theirs. We don't have to agree on everything. If some people think my point of view is absurd, I'm ok with that too.

You haven't really backed up your opinion with anything other then "it's your opinion". There have been studies that display the benefits of gaming as some have mentioned. Like anything, it can becoming addictive, but that's not the fault of gaming, that's just the individual.

 

[Reality Czech]

You haven't really backed up your opinion with anything other then "it's your opinion". There have been studies that display the benefits of gaming as some have mentioned. Like anything, it can becoming addictive, but that's not the fault of gaming, that's just the individual.

Aren't we all just sharing our opinions here? I'm not trying to change your mind so much as giving my thoughts on video games. When I first commented, it was about how pervasive video games have become in our society. ESPN covers it, people live stream themselves playing video games online, and star athletes are asked in interviews what games they play. A couple of years ago it seemed all we heard about was Pokemon and now I keep hearing about Fortnite pretty much every day. It has gotten to the point to where the NHL commented on the video game habits of its players. Basically I don't get the fascination but I realize many people don't share my point of view. Didn't really intend to get into a debate on the pros and cons of playing video games. I'm sure there is a reason it's so popular these days.

 

[Dbrownss]

Aren't we all just sharing our opinions here? I'm not trying to change your mind so much as giving my thoughts on video games. When I first commented, it was about how pervasive video games have become in our society. ESPN covers it, people live stream themselves playing video games online, and star athletes are asked in interviews what games they play. A couple of years ago it seemed all we heard about was Pokemon and now I keep hearing about Fortnite pretty much every day. It has gotten to the point to where the NHL commented on the video game habits of its players. Basically I don't get the fascination but I realize many people don't share my point of view. Didn't really intend to get into a debate on the pros and cons of playing video games. I'm sure there is a reason it's so popular these days.

You came off awfully offensive. There is a difference between not understanding something and telling adults to grow up.

I found it absurd that Keith Tkachuk would make the comment that he did. Now maybe the context was lost and he simply responded to a question and it was more just an innocent joke. I'm just baffled how anyone would want their pro athlete son out drinking and partying vs playing a game with friends.

I know the big story over the summer was Juleovi(allegedly) was playing waaaaay too much. There could be underlying reasons to this. It could be a tough transition to NA, lack of finding friendship. I honestly dont know as I just read the initial story and at that point, they weren't overly forthcoming with much. That's not on the gaming industry. People still need to take accountability for what they do and parents and peers need to recognize if someone is becoming addicted to something. Whether that be drinking, drugs, partying....or video games.

I somewhat agree that pro gamers shouldn't be harrolded as someone special....but that extends to any form of sports personality. For instance....I didnt know there was a professional dart league.....their set up is like the WWE. To each their own though.


Another question, have you tried moderning gaming? Games like fortnite and Pubg offer a different experience every single time you play...unless you're terrible then your experience will be a quick death no matter what. There are games with expansive stories that are drawn out over years. A game like mass effect has been one of my favorite stories of all times. Halo....well it went kinda sideways but for many years, it had an outstanding story. A game like Grand Theft Auto 5, it has sold over 95 million copies and generated 6 billion in revenue, you dont achieve that success by accident. A game like minecraft, its overly simplistic, think of it like virtual legos....and not the themed Legos, the old school, use your imagination to build anything you want.


As a few others have said, just seems like the media has blown things out of proportion and are putting a spin on it. On NHL network they had a segment on it, and a few teams encourage it as opposed to the guys going out on the town.

If we're done with this discussion then ok, but just because you dont "get it" doesnt mean its childish or people need to "grow up". All of my friends that I game with online are fully employed, hard working adults. They are absolutely adulting in life...how else are they going to grow up?

 

[Chief Steele]

Looks as if Lighting have a new GM... SO Pro Hockey Rumors and the Athletic are reporting that he has stepped down..r
with that how would it effect you if you signed with the Lighting because of him.. and what he sold you.. New GM will want to make his mark,,,

 

[Majorityof1]

EA's NHL 19 video game went up for early access through EA access on Xbox the other day. I signed up for EA access to get the $6 discount off of my pre-order, as it costs $5 to sign up for a month and I save $6. Anyway, I wanted to give a brief review for anyone who is on the fence about buying it. In short, if you played/own last year and you are on the fence, don't buy it.

I was very disappointment with how little it changed. They talked about more fluid control, faster pace, better animations, etc, etc and it felt like the same game. I'll do a side by side comparison tonight, but I just played NHL 18 a week or two ago to finish off my season I left with only a couple games in that version before the new one. There is a difference but it is slight. I will say it is super fun to play with Dunn with the new slightly faster gameplay, and his updated ratings. He plays like he should and is my favorite player to control.

Otherwise the Blues rankings are annoyingly low/wrong on our prospects/Edmundson. Eddy is only an 81, same as Dunn. Walman is listed a a defensive-minded defenseman with average speed. Thomas is a 66 with medium top 6 potential, Kyrou a 68 with low top 6. Kostin is by far the best prospect but is a C. Blais is a 71 with only AHL potential. Binnington has higher potential (and same rating) as Husso who has AHL potential.

It should be noted that I have only played like 5 games and only in franchise/play now modes. I have not messed around with the new/revamped modes. If you play in the EASHL thing or mess around with created characters, it may be worth it. For me as a BE a GM player only, not so much. Trades are ridiculously difficult. I love tweaking the team in those games. I knocked trades down to easy and had a trade for a 4th+ Thorburn (who was highlighted as meeting their needs) for a 5th round pick was rejected. A player is says you want and a higher pick, yet its rejected on easy? I did manage to trade Kyrou+Bortuzzo+2 2nds for Buchnevich (83 high top 6) and JBO (82)+Steen (84) + Gunnarson (79 IRRC) + 3rd for Brodin (83) + Neiderrieter (84) to save some cap and get faster.

Anyway, sorry for such a long post on controversial video games. But I thought some people may appreciate the heads-up if they were considering a purchase on Friday. I already committed to my pre-order, so I am stuck. If you do end up getting it on Xbox, pm me your tag if you want to play online sometime.

 

[The Note]

It should be noted that I have only played like 5 games and only in franchise/play now modes. I have not messed around with the new/revamped modes. If you play in the EASHL thing or mess around with created characters, it may be worth it. For me as a BE a GM player only, not so much. Trades are ridiculously difficult. I love tweaking the team in those games. I knocked trades down to easy and had a trade for a 4th+ Thorburn (who was highlighted as meeting their needs) for a 5th round pick was rejected. A player is says you want and a higher pick, yet its rejected on easy? I did manage to trade Kyrou+Bortuzzo+2 2nds for Buchnevich (83 high top 6) and JBO (82)+Steen (84) + Gunnarson (79 IRRC) + 3rd for Brodin (83) + Neiderrieter (84) to save some cap and get faster.

This is disappointing to hear. I haven’t bought NHL in 2 years because I got so tired of the same things plaguing the game, especially since I’m in the same boat a struggle you and primarily play BAGM. I was encouraged by the new scouting system they touted and was contemplating getting a copy this year. It’s a shame that hockey fans can’t get a franchise mode comparable to MLB The Show that’s super robust and smooth. Perhaps I’ll pick NHL up still, but probably only after a price drop.

 

[Majorityof1]

This is disappointing to hear. I haven’t bought NHL in 2 years because I got so tired of the same things plaguing the game, especially since I’m in the same boat a struggle you and primarily play BAGM. I was encouraged by the new scouting system they touted and was contemplating getting a copy this year. It’s a shame that hockey fans can’t get a franchise mode comparable to MLB The Show that’s super robust and smooth. Perhaps I’ll pick NHL up still, but probably only after a price drop.

They do have a different scouting system. There is a "fog of war" over player rankings that don't tell you their attributes until you scout them. I turned it off when I set up my league though as scouting has always been an annoying bit of micromanagement in the past. I will probably restart my BAGM when the game officially launches on Friday, in case there are any roster updates with the day 1 patch. Actually technically, I'll restart it after I beat the new Tomb Raider which also launches Friday, so probably in a week or two. I'll turn Fog of War on for my real franchise. Early access has a 10 hour limit (unless you pay for premium editions which give you the full game 2 days early) and I didn't want to waste it configuring my scouts. I could spend 10 hours tweaking my franchise at the start and never play a game, which I didn't want to do. Anyway, I'll keep you updated as I play more.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I like the changes to Franchise Mode.

Fog of War is basically what FIFA has, where it masks the overall and other attributes, you can tune it for specific areas as well. For example, you can mask the overall until they are scouted, but have their potential known at all times. There are a few options for what to show on Fog of War.

You have pro and amateur scouting. This is what reveals the Fog of War, and scouting can be done automatically. I just sign the scouts I want, and then set it to auto. You can either adjust the assignment that they are on or set a list of specific players to scout. Haven't spent too much time in determining the best system, but this is much better than previous NHL games. I think the way it will play out is, initially setup the scouts, let them auto scout, and then manually assign them to specific prospects/players that you are interested in.

Watching videos, the trading logic of computer teams seem better. Overall, I'm more happy to do franchise mode sims on this than FIFA this year, so I'll be skipping FIFA, since no changes were made to that game.

 

[Dbrownss]

I played about 10min of it on HUT, the skating felt better, but had a more Yakupov'esque look to the skaters first could steps. I haven't actually preordered it yet. Not sure if I will or not

 

[bleedblue1223]

The skating is different, can't tell if it's better and more realistic or just an attempt at doing that. I'm also concerned on the eventual tuner updates that they'll release, that could ruin the changes to poke checks.

 

[Majorityof1]

I played about 10min of it on HUT, the skating felt better, but had a more Yakupov'esque look to the skaters first could steps. I haven't actually preordered it yet. Not sure if I will or not

The skating did feel a tad bit better. The best part is some players can actually accelerate, so if you slow down to make a cut to make a move, you aren't a sitting duck. But it doesn't amount to much in single player when the CPU skates better too. Online it will probably be cool. Against the CPU, its the same ole BS where you can't get any room to skate because they have puck-magnets on their sticks and can teleport a foot from behind to backcheck you hard enough to send you flying. Make an awesome stop and start deke move to get around them, they instantly recover the foot of space you created to hit you from behind, somehow having the puck magically bounce the other direction to a different CPU player who skates down and shoots it through your goalie because the CPU needed to score for balance. Make the CPU better on harder difficulties, don't give them cheap unfair advantages.

 

[FrontYardSpecial]

I preordered so I was able to play some HUT last night. They changed the mechanics of poke checking in NHL 19 big time. I racked up 10+ tripping penalties in my first game. It should be noted that I am not very good to begin with but I never had that many penalties in one game (let alone for only tripping) in NHL 17 or 18 lol

 

[Dbrownss]

The skating did feel a tad bit better. The best part is some players can actually accelerate, so if you slow down to make a cut to make a move, you aren't a sitting duck. But it doesn't amount to much in single player when the CPU skates better too. Online it will probably be cool. Against the CPU, its the same ole BS where you can't get any room to skate because they have puck-magnets on their sticks and can teleport a foot from behind to backcheck you hard enough to send you flying. Make an awesome stop and start deke move to get around them, they instantly recover the foot of space you created to hit you from behind, somehow having the puck magically bounce the other direction to a different CPU player who skates down and shoots it through your goalie because the CPU needed to score for balance. Make the CPU better on harder difficulties, don't give them cheap unfair advantages.

Playing against the AI is mind numbing. My goodness do I hear you on how that puck acts for the AI. My favorite is when you check the AI and the puck stays with the player you absolutely destroyed or bounces out to their linemate. I dont know how many times I'd blow the AI up along the walls and as they are flopping along the ice, the puck stays with them and they get up and skate off like nothing happens. Another one is when you poke check and the puck stays with them or they just kick it back to their stick....when they poke check you, it comes off your stick like a slap shot....

 

[Dbrownss]

I preordered so I was able to play some HUT last night. They changed the mechanics of poke checking in NHL 19 big time. I racked up 10+ tripping penalties in my first game. It should be noted that I am not very good to begin with but I never had that many penalties in one game (let alone for only tripping) in NHL 17 or 18 lol

That's good. It was insane in 18. Idk how many times I would get poke check from behind with impunity

 

[bleedblue1223]

You pretty much have to poke-check when you are a defender looking the forward in the eyes or from the side when you have good line-of-sight on the puck. It's much better now, but I'm worried they will change it back after enough complain online about it.

 

[Dbrownss]

You pretty much have to poke-check when you are a defender looking the forward in the eyes or from the side when you have good line-of-sight on the puck. It's much better now, but I'm worried they will change it back after enough complain online about it.

God I hope not. It's the only thing someone with a none 99overall team can count on is not being back checked and poked checked from behind. How are the ratings in HUT? I see my loyalty cards are 80 overall......nothing like a medicore McDavid

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

Playing against the AI is mind numbing. My goodness do I hear you on how that puck acts for the AI. My favorite is when you check the AI and the puck stays with the player you absolutely destroyed or bounces out to their linemate. I dont know how many times I'd blow the AI up along the walls and as they are flopping along the ice, the puck stays with them and they get up and skate off like nothing happens. Another one is when you poke check and the puck stays with them or they just kick it back to their stick....when they poke check you, it comes off your stick like a slap shot....

The most infuriating thing about the NHL games. That and goalies giving super weak goals far more often than they should.

 

[Dbrownss]

The most infuriating thing about the NHL games. That and goalies giving super weak goals far more often than they should.

You mean the above the circle against the grain wrist shot.....

 

[bleedblue1223]

God I hope not. It's the only thing someone with a none 99overall team can count on is not being back checked and poked checked from behind. How are the ratings in HUT? I see my loyalty cards are 80 overall......nothing like a medicore McDavid

They make everyone artificially lower in HUT, but it's not difficult to get top players in packs, I got an 86 Karlsson. You then progress towards upgrading them. Basically, unless you constantly grind it or pay money, you'll still be up against a team full of absurd players.

 

[Dbrownss]

They make everyone artificially lower in HUT, but it's not difficult to get top players in packs, I got an 86 Karlsson. You then progress towards upgrading them. Basically, unless you constantly grind it or pay money, you'll still be up against a team full of absurd players.

I wonder if they will reduce the abundance of 99 all players?


Edit: holy hell, speech to text mangled that

 

[bleedblue1223]

I wanna say will reduce the abundance of 99 all players?

Not sure. I honestly don't think I'll play it that much because that's what I'm afraid of. I don't want to spend a decent amount of time, only to find out a bunch spent more and have an unbeatable team.

 

[Dbrownss]

Not sure. I honestly don't think I'll play it that much because that's what I'm afraid of. I don't want to spend a decent amount of time, only to find out a bunch spent more and have an unbeatable team.

I really like HUT, but I'm with you. I can't spend several hours a day doing it. I'd like a better ranking/match up system. Keep the casual or sucky players together and the uber players separate. Nothing like doing a qualifier against an Ovechkin-Crosby-Mcdavid-Wheeler-Hedman-Rinne lineup

 

[bleedblue1223]

I think I'll treat HUT like a campaign mode of sorts, and just look to finish all the offline objectives. I'll play CHEL online, that looks like it could be fun. Then just a lot of franchise mode.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I really like HUT, but I'm with you. I can't spend several hours a day doing it. I'd like a better ranking/match up system. Keep the casual or sucky players together and the uber players separate. Nothing like doing a qualifier against an Ovechkin-Crosby-Mcdavid-Wheeler-Hedman-Rinne lineup

I prefer the old days of Ultimate Team, mainly in the early releases of FIFA. You could build a solid squad, but you really had to grind and work to get 1 or 2 top-tier guys. Everyone was in the same-boat, and it was much better about ranking players, so matches were typically pretty balanced. This was also back in high-school/college days when I had time to actually be good too. In the old days, I never would've gotten a Karlsson in one of my 1st few packs.