NHL 24 Discussion

[Ceremony]

I've now made it to seven Ones finals without a win. I think four overtimes in that. Just let me have one. Please.

 

[FerrisRox]

The one thing I have to say about this year's game in WOC is how much each and every game is a grind.

There are games where the skill gap is noticeable but dare I say the ice tilt rears its ugly head. Puck bounces, posts, crossbars and soft goals keep a lot of these games closer than they'd usually be.

Not a lot of straight line breakouts or goals off the rush anymore either. It's imperative to use stop-starts, misdirection and lateral puck movement to break through the defense. It's also necessary to know how to win those puck battles without overcommitting.

This is the first time where the game actually leaves me with sore hands after a few games.

I can't wait until the day when we stop hearing people pretending that there's "ice tilt."

 

[belair]

I can't wait until the day when we stop hearing people pretending that there's "ice tilt."

EA has literally patented the Dynamic Difficulty adjustment. It's been a thing in their games since the early 2010s. It's exceptionally noticeable in offline mode vs the CPU.

When it comes to online though, I'm seeing a lot of one goal games and grinding against teams we're absolutely stomping.

 

[FerrisRox]

EA has literally patented the Dynamic Difficulty adjustment. It's been a thing in their games since the early 2010s. It's exceptionally noticeable in offline mode vs the CPU.

You might be surprised to learn that the "exceptionally noticeable DDA" you are referring to is absolute nonsense.

EA has repeatedly claimed they do not use this in their sports games and despite this, there were still plaintiffs that attempted to prove in court that they were lying.

Guess how that went?

"Our clear statements were recently challenged in a lawsuit that alleged we did, in fact, use DDA in Ultimate Team modes. We’re pleased to share that the plaintiffs have now dismissed their case. We provided them with detailed technical information and access to speak with our engineers, all of which confirmed (again) that there is no DDA or scripting in Ultimate Team modes. This is the right result."

It's all bullshit. It's excuses for people that have a tantrum when the game doesn't go their way. What possible reason would EA have for including that in their versus sports games? What would the point be? It certainly wouldn't provide a better experience for their gamers.

 

[Troublesome 85]

This game f***ing sucks and if you think its better than the past recent ones pass me what ur smoking

 

[Soedy]

This game f***ing sucks and if you think its better than the past recent ones pass me what ur smoking

I mean, better than the recent ones does not mean it's good. That's where I am. I like the gameplay more than 22 and 23 but there's still so much room for improvement.

 

[FerrisRox]

I mean, better than the recent ones does not mean it's good. That's where I am. I like the gameplay more than 22 and 23 but there's still so much room for improvement.

I agree with this wholeheartedly.

The game still has tons of room for improvement and is littered with bugs and lazy mistakes, but the gameplay itself is the best it's ever been and this most recent version took, by far, the biggest steps we've seen in years in terms of improving the game.

None of this is saying much, cause the gameplay has been lousy and the changes from year to year have been minimal, but the new devs that jumped on halfway through the cycle of this years game have already largely improved the game.

 

[Raekwon]

Anyone else notice the extreme variation in quality of computer goalies from game to game?
Some games unbeatable then the next unscreened shots going in left and right

 

[Dale Gribble]

EA still needs to fix the CPU Goaltending.

Doesn't matter what settings I change it too, my goalies always suck.

 

[David Suzuki]

Yup, EA did a bunch of layoffs today, including madden I hope the NHL leads are part of it but I doubt it.

The loser Rammer will continue to drive this franchise to the shitter.

If they're laying people off it just means even fewer people will be involved in the making of the game. It's just gonna keep getting worse lol.

 

[sufferer]

This game f***ing sucks and if you think its better than the past recent ones pass me what ur smoking

The last two games have been horrific. I don't want to know what they'll do in the next one, I'll be taking a long break.

 

[EazyE1]

Just got it after a long time hiatus. I've played pretty much every one NHL 94-current.

I play online vs mostly-

wtf. why tf does it not let you choose teams at the same time? Many times ive picked an nhl team only to match up with someone who chose the allstars or one of those stacked gretzky teams. Then the game just starts with no way of switching back.. unless im missing something idk

menus suck, the momentum meter thing sucks, line changes arent nearly as smooth.
The soundtrack is a smhlol.

I'd give '24 a D+

 

[ShootIt]

EA still needs to fix the CPU Goaltending.

Doesn't matter what settings I change it too, my goalies always suck.

That's interesting.
This was the first NHL version I could keep multiple goalies in the low 2.XX GAA and .91X range. One season my backup that was 82 overall I got him to .922 sv over 20 games.
And I didn't have a stacked superstar roster. Just played a collapsing defense and was conservative on hitting and long passes in own zone.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

The Ultimate Edition is $30 on the PSN Store, is it worth it or should I just get takeout tomorrow with it?

 

[AvsFanJosh]

I was a top 5-10 player in eashl for years. This is the 1st game in years that is unplayable. Haven't played in months, it's a trash game.

 

[amikaro]

The Ultimate Edition is $30 on the PSN Store, is it worth it or should I just get takeout tomorrow with it?

I like it after all the updates

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Honestly. I think a good thing to add would be a Secondary Player Type. There are a ton of players in the league that are more than just a Playmaker or a Sniper. There are a bunch of really good Playmakers that are also really good Two way players as well.

 

[Coaches Coroner]

EA has literally patented the Dynamic Difficulty adjustment. It's been a thing in their games since the early 2010s. It's exceptionally noticeable in offline mode vs the CPU.

When it comes to online though, I'm seeing a lot of one goal games and grinding against teams we're absolutely stomping.

They've had late game rubberbanding since the mid 2000s

 

[FerrisRox]

They've had late game rubberbanding since the mid 2000s

This is not only false, its been proven in court to be false.

 

[BMann]

Apparently NHL 23 was a tiny update and they were already focused on developing NHL 24 which is going to be a massive leap, we shall see. What's everyones wishlist?

Usual EA nonsense that some still fall for every time. The Great Leap Forward. Even their original founder launched a scathing attack on the current head honcho's and the way they operate.

It's like Ready Player One. Corporations who care solely about profit and churning out content with little effort required.

If they were serious they'd actually listen, really listen to those that play the game. They would overhaul the engine used . No replace it to bring it into line with other games to make use of all those wonderful NVIDIA GPU's most of us have namely on their desktops. Allow modding to start again.

And actually use some AI to see how games of hockey flow, how patterns set up and model team styles accurately and players too.

It's shocking with the advances in processing power, architecture and AI that nearly all sports simulations are so bad. Rugby is the worst offering of all from EA. Utterly pitiful but the rest are not far behind. EA doesn't seem to care at all as long as people keep buying usually a younger demographic.

If you're looking for an authentic gaming experience in a sports simulation then it's a racing sim all the time. Assetto Corsa or ACC for me. Where the game developers actually take heed EA developers take all the data available for each car, engines, wheel performance, torque, suspension, power output, aerodynamics into account. They scan every circuit, driver for likeness, collaborate and analyze actual race data about turn in, toe out, camber, weather effects,track rubbering, record every sound, model every driver cockpit.

I mean EA cannot even can't be bothered to face scan some of the well known players in the NHL, let alone their biokinetics, mannerisms. The tech is there to do it as is AI.

They're just a useless lazy money grabbing corporation like many in the entertainment industry. They seriously need some competition in this arena. Shoddy presentation too. No immersive newscasts in game, realistic trades.

Main thing I want is a complete overhaul of customization, there are games from like 20 years ago that had sliders for individual facial features, how the hell is a game on ps5 in 2023 still forcing you to choose from generic pre made faces?

Why do we not get to choose pants? I like to tuck my jersey in and do not appreciate these generic noname “pants” with that plain spine protector

Why does choosing a fishbowl or cage mean you need to have a stupid generic noname helmet? Why can’t you have a cage/fishbowl on the same helmets you choose from normally?? Why can’t the fishbowl be a Bauer concept 3 instead of a generic noname one?

Bring back skate profiles, blade hollow, stick flex & curve and make those affect performance. This was a feature like 20 frigging years ago!

Add the NHL logo to the created team jersey instead of having that stupid blank collar

Add different textures to choose from in jersey creation, like so you could have a sparkly outline to the numbers or something or on the jersey stripes like LA/Vegas. All the textures look like some cheap fake leather jersey numbers currently.

Add better customization to the arenas as well, should have it like one of those building sims where you have creative control instead of choosing from a few generic arenas. Allow you to add screens and cool stuff, allow customization of the exterior of the building.

Overhaul be a pro to be like NBA’s or something, be a pro is the most repetitive mode in the game

Stop having the other teams fans boo me every game in be a Pro, wtf did I do? Was I the latest victim of cancel culture? Did I do some Bertuzzi-esque hit that led to me being blackballed? They boo me every arena I play in, I do like the booing you when you injured a guy in that game but they boo me everywhere I go.

Get rid of those damn flashing colors that glitch around center ice in Chel 6’s/3’s

Add world juniors, all star games, skills comp, outdoor games, world championships, maybe even World Cup of hockey/Olympics if they had rights to franchise mode & be a pro

Add NCAA, wish they could add KHL. As well as Russia being in international tournaments. And have real jerseys for international teams.

I’m versus it shouldn’t match you if the other guy chose the same team as you

Even if they couldn't afford to what the IIHF might want which would still be a paltry sum in comparison to their profits they could at least bring back the game on PC. Back in the day we had modded international teams with all the correct jerseys and even faces. Part of the fun was being able to mod the shitshow EA created.

This console obsession needs to end too.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Sure glad big tipper is a thing in WOC, so shit tier players can just shoot from the blue line and score tips even when im in perfect position to block.

 

[belair]

Sure glad big tipper is a thing in WOC, so shit tier players can just shoot from the blue line and score tips even when im in perfect position to block.

I'm on both sides of the argument on that one. I hate that a guy gets a tip on something even though he's 100% covered and facing the wrong direction. But I'm also glad that my weak ass wristers from the point can still be dangerous because I chose not to waste my stats on shot ratings.

Tips are a thing in real life so they need to make it work somehow.

 

[belair]

This is not only false, its been proven in court to be false.

I don't buy it. I also find it hard to see why it'd be a lawsuit in the first place. Can't see there being too deep of an investigation on the developer if there isn't much of a case to begin with.

It's incredibly easy to see AI team responsiveness drop in game. It's easy to see the AI opponent puck pickups despite the puck being well behind those players who've overskated the play. It's easy to see a unrealistically large number of posts, crossbars and desperation saves on one side and soft goals in abundance on the other. That's just H2H vs the AI. It's been like that for a decade plus.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

I'm on both sides of the argument on that one. I hate that a guy gets a tip on something even though he's 100% covered and facing the wrong direction. But I'm also glad that my weak ass wristers from the point can still be dangerous because I chose not to waste my stats on shot ratings.

Tips are a thing in real life so they need to make it work somehow.

I play mostly 3's, but I had a game last night where I was winning 5-0 and he had 5 straight goals on deflections by just doing a circle and wristing from the point.

I don't buy it. I also find it hard to see why it'd be a lawsuit in the first place. Can't see there being too deep of an investigation on the developer if there isn't much of a case to begin with.

It's incredibly easy to see AI team responsiveness drop in game. It's easy to see the AI opponent puck pickups despite the puck being well behind those players who've overskated the play. It's easy to see a unrealistically large number of posts, crossbars and desperation saves on one side and soft goals in abundance on the other. That's just H2H vs the AI. It's been like that for a decade plus.

The goalie quality from game to game is also not consistent.

Some games the goalie looks like he doesnt even know the sport, and the next game they're stopping every cross crease tap in.

 

[belair]

I play mostly 3's, but I had a game last night where I was winning 5-0 and he had 5 straight goals on deflections by just doing a circle and wristing from the point.

Yuck. 3v3s is ass IMO. I'll run Eliminator every once in awhile, but the player quality is generally quite low.

The goalie quality from game to game is also not consistent.

Some games the goalie looks like he doesnt even know the sport, and the next game they're stopping every cross crease tap in.

My bigger issue is with the AI's ability to defend year over year. They have next to no defensive awareness and zero interest in challenging puck carriers. They consistently get caught on pivots. EA's answer to that is giving them a whole different set of rules when it comes to puck and body physics.

In the end, it's the same issue: consistency.