Forgot to post this to my thread! It's the gameplay reveal trailer! Check out the new skating, the new goalies and the new mechanic for swiping at loose pucks! I don't understand why they keep going on about being able to skate backwards at any time. You were always able to do that by pressing LT/L2. I guess they turned off "auto-skate backwards" and called it a new feature. The new skating momentum looks great though, as does the new "sprint/speed burst" or whatever they call it. Swiping at the pucks should be a big help to the defenseman. No longer do they have to go into the corner, collect the puck and make a play, risking getting pinned or stick lifted for a turnover. Now they can just bat the loose puck up the boards if there's a guy right on their tail. Should be cool. The new goalies really do look awesome.
NHL 13 - My annual thread, that no one reads. Watch me talk to myself like a psycho!
- Thread starter Scott_Arm
- Start date
Details on improvements to "Be A Pro" mode and EASHL:
http://www.easports.com/nhl/news/article/be-a-pro-hockey-league-improvements
Didn't read the "Be A Pro" stuff, because I don't care. EASHL, on the other hand, is the good stuff. Looks like they will try to do a better job of matching teams by location and skill level to hopefully give you better games. Teams that play with 6 players will get big performance bonuses in terms of ranking points. Also, there is a 6 player leaderboard, so you can tell the top clubs that play with 6s from the ones that play 2s or 3s and glitch like crazy. If you back out of match making, you will now receive a penalty to whatever points you earn for your next win. I like it all!
http://www.easports.com/nhl/news/article/be-a-pro-hockey-league-improvements
Didn't read the "Be A Pro" stuff, because I don't care. EASHL, on the other hand, is the good stuff. Looks like they will try to do a better job of matching teams by location and skill level to hopefully give you better games. Teams that play with 6 players will get big performance bonuses in terms of ranking points. Also, there is a 6 player leaderboard, so you can tell the top clubs that play with 6s from the ones that play 2s or 3s and glitch like crazy. If you back out of match making, you will now receive a penalty to whatever points you earn for your next win. I like it all!
HDR lighting! True-to-life stadiums, broadcast style replays, broadcast camera and some other presentation tweaks.
Read more about it here ... http://www.easports.com/nhl/news/article/presentation-overhaul-nhl-13
There have been a lot of graphical upgrades! Way more than you'd expect in a EA Sports game: New HDR lighting model, players cast shadows on each other, bounced light, sub-surface glow (scattering?), HDR reflection cubemaps, motion blur, fog, film grain (highlights), dynamic ice wear, etc.
I kind of wanted Frostbite engine, but seems like they're doing some real upgrades to the visuals for once. I hope the frame rate is improved.
Read more about it here ... http://www.easports.com/nhl/news/article/presentation-overhaul-nhl-13
There have been a lot of graphical upgrades! Way more than you'd expect in a EA Sports game: New HDR lighting model, players cast shadows on each other, bounced light, sub-surface glow (scattering?), HDR reflection cubemaps, motion blur, fog, film grain (highlights), dynamic ice wear, etc.
I kind of wanted Frostbite engine, but seems like they're doing some real upgrades to the visuals for once. I hope the frame rate is improved.
Also, there is a new trailer to go with the demo.
I haven't said much about GM Connected, which is new this year. I don't really know too much about it, but I think it's a 750 player custom league, where each team has a player as a GM that can make trades etc. Each player on each time can be controlled by a human player, so you can do full 6 vs 6 games using NHL players. I imagine a lot of the meta leagues like the VHL, EHL, League Gaming and whatever else will look at this.
I haven't said much about GM Connected, which is new this year. I don't really know too much about it, but I think it's a 750 player custom league, where each team has a player as a GM that can make trades etc. Each player on each time can be controlled by a human player, so you can do full 6 vs 6 games using NHL players. I imagine a lot of the meta leagues like the VHL, EHL, League Gaming and whatever else will look at this.
Impressions
Graphics - Looks a lot nicer in replays, but the differences are not as noticeable in the overhead views (which is expected). I think the frame rate has improved for the up-close ice-level views. I didn't notice any stuttering, where I would in the older games. That's a nice improvement for people that play in those views.
Gameplay - The skating is A LOT different. You have way more momentum, at full speed in a power skating motion, your turn radius is about as wide as the rink. If you slow to a glide, it cuts the angle down a lot. Player agility seems to be drastically reduced, so you can't stop and cut a million times in one place anymore. You really have to learn to use the momentum to beat guys after they overcommit to you. You won't be able to walk in on them and try to dangle through them anymore. Sticks are a lot more active to deflect passes and knock the puck away. There will be a lot more of a perimeter movement style of game, looking for opportunities to get into the slot. D-men will probably have a tough time, as the default skating speed going backwards seems a bit slow, so guys will be able to beat you wide or inside with a burst of speed if you lose your position. Goalies seem pretty cool. Hard to see the difference as much except for some big diving saves they wouldn't have made before. They're supposed to be able to move their arms and legs independently. It's hard to see in-game, but maybe noticeable on replays.
Edit:
Graphics are way better. The replays are a huge improvement over the previous years. The lighting and shadows make such a big difference. Not sure why it took this long. Maybe they're gettin' ready for next gen and some of the features made it into the current version.
Gameplay is great. I'm really liking the way they tweated the LT/L2 backwards skating. The transition from forward to backward is quicker and smoother. You can do a lot of nice dekes to protect the puck just with that button. It is interesting in the way it works. If you press it to switch backwards, he'll immediately switch back to forwards skating when you let it go, so you can do some half turns to fake guys. As with every year, the real test will be once everyone has their legend cards unlocked. That's when you find out how well balanced the online gameplay is. It always starts off well and then there is a rough patch as everyone upgrades their stats and the imbalances are revealed. Also, I'm guessing a lot of the fans of a more arcade style game will complain on the forums, and a tuner will be released that messes with everything. I hope they stick with the sim type skating. They could at least offer online lobbies with different tuners for those that want arcade and those that want sim. EASHL should be sim.
I'd also like to add that the new skating engine is the most significant change they've made to the game since they added the skill stick. If you haven't tried it in a while, this is the one to try if you have any interest.
Graphics - Looks a lot nicer in replays, but the differences are not as noticeable in the overhead views (which is expected). I think the frame rate has improved for the up-close ice-level views. I didn't notice any stuttering, where I would in the older games. That's a nice improvement for people that play in those views.
Gameplay - The skating is A LOT different. You have way more momentum, at full speed in a power skating motion, your turn radius is about as wide as the rink. If you slow to a glide, it cuts the angle down a lot. Player agility seems to be drastically reduced, so you can't stop and cut a million times in one place anymore. You really have to learn to use the momentum to beat guys after they overcommit to you. You won't be able to walk in on them and try to dangle through them anymore. Sticks are a lot more active to deflect passes and knock the puck away. There will be a lot more of a perimeter movement style of game, looking for opportunities to get into the slot. D-men will probably have a tough time, as the default skating speed going backwards seems a bit slow, so guys will be able to beat you wide or inside with a burst of speed if you lose your position. Goalies seem pretty cool. Hard to see the difference as much except for some big diving saves they wouldn't have made before. They're supposed to be able to move their arms and legs independently. It's hard to see in-game, but maybe noticeable on replays.
Edit:
Graphics are way better. The replays are a huge improvement over the previous years. The lighting and shadows make such a big difference. Not sure why it took this long. Maybe they're gettin' ready for next gen and some of the features made it into the current version.
Gameplay is great. I'm really liking the way they tweated the LT/L2 backwards skating. The transition from forward to backward is quicker and smoother. You can do a lot of nice dekes to protect the puck just with that button. It is interesting in the way it works. If you press it to switch backwards, he'll immediately switch back to forwards skating when you let it go, so you can do some half turns to fake guys. As with every year, the real test will be once everyone has their legend cards unlocked. That's when you find out how well balanced the online gameplay is. It always starts off well and then there is a rough patch as everyone upgrades their stats and the imbalances are revealed. Also, I'm guessing a lot of the fans of a more arcade style game will complain on the forums, and a tuner will be released that messes with everything. I hope they stick with the sim type skating. They could at least offer online lobbies with different tuners for those that want arcade and those that want sim. EASHL should be sim.
I'd also like to add that the new skating engine is the most significant change they've made to the game since they added the skill stick. If you haven't tried it in a while, this is the one to try if you have any interest.
I just want you to know I am following this thread!
I'm going to pick up the demo/beta tonight on my 360.heh, talking to yourself eh gonna start a mule account now
anyway i am still always curious. awhile back I thought it would be fun to pick up an nfl sim, mostly to hold a draft (do they still let you run the combine?). XD well, turns out nobody in hong kong actually STOCKS the north american-only sports games! XD
gonna start a mule account now anyway i am still always curious. awhile back I thought it would be fun to pick up an nfl sim, mostly to hold a draft (do they still let you run the combine?). XD well, turns out nobody in hong kong actually STOCKS the north american-only sports games! XD
heh, talking to yourself eh
anyway i am still always curious. awhile back I thought it would be fun to pick up an nfl sim, mostly to hold a draft (do they still let you run the combine?). XD well, turns out nobody in hong kong actually STOCKS the north american-only sports games! XD
Acert93 has a big thread about Madden, if you wanna ask him that. NHL has GM modes where you can simulate the games or play them as you want, and do all of that fun GM stuff like draft and trade players. I never play it, so I don't know much about it. FIFA is the same as well, I think. They must sell FIFA in Hong Kong.
Yeah... I actually enjoy watching "football" from time to time, as much as almost any other sport, but playing sims of it bores me to tears. It's a shame because they were light years ahead when it came to stuff like player management and training. Brilliant stuff. Those aspects are still strong, I'm sure, but I think I really prefer the dynamism of the NFL and the NHL games. People here are also gaga over the NBA, but playing NBA games also doesn't hold my attention nearly as long. They're quite solid multiplayer games, but I think they're just repetitive as hell SP. It's just me being too picky anyway. I could order any of these games from Amazon, in theory. Just not quite that motivated, whereas if I stumbled upon any of them in the street, I'd own all of them. You know what's surprising? No deep-looking rugby games around. Sorry for the thread derail. I'm really glad to hear they finally fixed skating and stick checking. They were my biggest problems with EA hockey for over a decade.
THere have been some attempts at Rugby that were pretty poor. FIFA is actually an all-around great game. It works remarkably well online. I've heard the NBA 2K series is very good. It has an online mode where you can make a full team with your friends and play against other people's teams, just like EA has done with NHL and FIFA. EAs NBA title is finished. As much as people complain about EA, their sports titles are actually very good. I think they might be better served doing a game every two years, with a big DLC update in between, but the product is still great. I think paying $60 on a yearly basis is really what grinds the gears of most people, because a year isn't long enough to make any huge daring changes.
I dunno. I don't wanna derail your thread too much, but it's hard to see EA sports games as relatively great. Madden is mostly hail mary plays, fifa consistently has terrible man to man play, which was also the problem with their nba games, their baseball series was mediocre... I don't see it. If you're a fan of sports, and have to have yearly titles, their titles are all pretty good for at least a little while. Only the golf really seems to outshine legitimate competition, though. Their competitor to Champ Manager was decent, but iirc they just bought it and promptly discontinued it a few years later. EA games usually have decent netcode (and this online season play stuff is brilliant) and focus on visuals and getting people to feel comfortable. The games mostly fall apart after analysis by the hardcore. A lot of competitors seem to fall apart when getting online MP to work consitently though. EA know where the money is, gotta give em that. They also support the games relatively well, if they make money.
Again, I apologize for the thread derailment. I'm pretty sure we had this conversation last year >_< I'm really glad that EA seem to be taking good care of their hockey franchise. It's my favorite sport by far. I don't have the time to play these games multiplayer but I wish I did. they are simply brilliant modes that must keep you engaged for years on end. Super cool.
Kind of gave up on NHL in favor of FIFA, which is now meh.
I wonder how much they put into this years games -- Madden is touting physics engine.
But they must have people working on next-gen engines? That was supposedly the case for the last couple of years of the last gen.
But 6 or 7 years ago, they were still making PC games so they could have leveraged that work for the next gen.
I wonder how much they put into this years games -- Madden is touting physics engine.
But they must have people working on next-gen engines? That was supposedly the case for the last couple of years of the last gen.
But 6 or 7 years ago, they were still making PC games so they could have leveraged that work for the next gen.
Thanks a lot, looking forward to it...
Hope there will be no lockout, would be interesting to see how sales are affected with the fact that the season has not yet started...
Impressions from about 10 games played in EASHL (and another 40 games of OTP and EASHL during the early release) playing without any AI players on the ice. AI defenders seem to be weak, from what I can tell, with the exception of powerful hits.
The skating is great. It's far more realistic. You can use speed and momentum to your advantage, catching players moving the wrong way to get lanes to move to the net. You can't stop on a dime and change directions instantly. People seem to be getting the hang of it fast. So far, I have not seen the backwards skating get abused, but it does allow for some very cool maneuvers as you get used to it. I prefer the new power skating mechanic by clicking the left stick to the old "push ahead" move.
The game is very much defense oriented. Poke check is far more effective than it was in 12, or maybe ever. Players lose the puck much more easily. You can't skate into traffic and somehow get to the net. Passing is tough when you start, because you'll have a player with a rating of around 55. You can't charge your passes or the receiver won't get a handle on it. Defenders intercept and tip passes away consistently as long as they're in the passing. The new "chop" mechanic is very useful. If you're racing to the corner for a 50/50 puck with the opponent on you, you can try to chop it along the boards, instead of picking it up and potentially having it stolen from you. This is a good play in both the defensive and offensive zones, as long as you direct it well enough. You direct with the left stick and chop with the right bumper, or R1(?) on PS3. You don't have to be right on the puck to do it. The chop works at stick length, so you can hit it early. Oh, and stick lifting will cause about a billion penalties, so stick with poking for the most part.
Shooting from various places on the ice is much more useful. You no longer have to work the puck into specific places to score. You can put one in from just about anywhere in the slot between the faceoff dots. Getting in there is tough, and your shooting will not be 100%. Accuracy is improved when in a glide, so power skating into the net with a defender on you is usually a bad time to shoot from far out. In that case, you're better off going 5-hole, which works now, or jamming it and hoping a trailing player will pick up a rebound. You'll get more "garbage" goals and will probably snipe a few more on the goalie from the slot area as you skate in. Last year was all one-timers and dangling the goalie. Not anymore. In a sense, the AI goalie is more in line with a very good human goalie from last year. They anticipate better, but you can beat them from more places on the ice.
A 2-man cycle is still effective, but it's hard to keep it going with the frequency of broken plays from interceptions, deflected pucks, slow pucks and poor passing accuracy. You can't cycle and wait for the perfect pass in front of the net, because the person out front will more often than not be covered. If you get a lane to drive the net from the half boards or behind the net, you have to take it. Right now, a lot of players are just using speed to try to drive wide around defenders to go to the net and create chances. I prefer to mix it up, because the momentum in the skating will causing defenders to overplay you if you can do a quick stop. You can pass to an inside trailer behind you if you carry into the offensive zone on the boards, and he can usually get a decent shot from the high slot area which might lead to a rebound. Carrying it in, coming to a full stop and putting the puck into the corner for a trailer to chase also works pretty well.
AI goalies are very good and much more interesting. They're soft enough that you feel like you can shoot from anywhere and score, but they'll save about 90% of the shots they face. They're incredibly good on wide one-timers, coming across the crease with great speed. The shooter should go far corner, rather than short side, if he can hit it, because the goalies will overplay the one-timer and lose their net a bit. It's very hard to do. This year, you seem to be better off lining up for one-timers in the hash marks, or just slightly inside the far post. You can't rely on it as a strategy because it's very hard to pass into that area. One-timers form the point are very effective for scoring and generating rebound chances, especially because people tend to not guard your defenders well.
As a defensive strategy, a box plus one formation works very well. Don't over commit to attacking players, because with the new momentum in the skating, you can't recover if the guy gets around you. Just force the puck carrier to the boards and make sure he can't get into the prime scoring area in the slots or between the faceoff dots. If your defenders go into the corners, the center should take their place on the post. Having a "roaver" center in the D-zone is usually more simple. Just make sure to keep the puck carrier on the outside, and everyone else should man up and cover a lane/passing target.
Goaltending is a lot of fun, but your stats start way too low. It's hard to unlock boosts, because you have to do them in club, but no one will want you to play with your low stats. You can play in OTP to try to unlock your cards, but it's hard to get the wins when your guy sucks. The controls are way better though, with the "anticipation" control with the right stick replacing the entirely useless manual saves. You push the stick in the direction you think the puck will go in to get an improved chance of making the save, but if you guess wrong, you're weaker on the other side. Helps on one-timers or cross-crease plays. Beating human-controlled goalies is a bit easier, because they lose their net more often, but I'd say human goalies have been given much better tools this year. The animations allow them to make a lot more saves.
The best way to play this game is still 6 vs 6 in club. This year, there is supposed to be a separate leader board for 6 vs 6 play. If you back out of games during matchmaking or during a game, you get penalized by gaining points from your next win. Matchmaking seems to keep you playing opponents on your level most of the time, so there is no reason to back out anyway. You can assign a captain and two assistant captains to your club, which really does nothing but put a C or an A on their jersey, but it does look pretty cool. Club features have not changed, with the exception of being able to hop teams a little more easily. You can change twice in a 12 hour period, instead of once in 24 hours.
The skating is great. It's far more realistic. You can use speed and momentum to your advantage, catching players moving the wrong way to get lanes to move to the net. You can't stop on a dime and change directions instantly. People seem to be getting the hang of it fast. So far, I have not seen the backwards skating get abused, but it does allow for some very cool maneuvers as you get used to it. I prefer the new power skating mechanic by clicking the left stick to the old "push ahead" move.
The game is very much defense oriented. Poke check is far more effective than it was in 12, or maybe ever. Players lose the puck much more easily. You can't skate into traffic and somehow get to the net. Passing is tough when you start, because you'll have a player with a rating of around 55. You can't charge your passes or the receiver won't get a handle on it. Defenders intercept and tip passes away consistently as long as they're in the passing. The new "chop" mechanic is very useful. If you're racing to the corner for a 50/50 puck with the opponent on you, you can try to chop it along the boards, instead of picking it up and potentially having it stolen from you. This is a good play in both the defensive and offensive zones, as long as you direct it well enough. You direct with the left stick and chop with the right bumper, or R1(?) on PS3. You don't have to be right on the puck to do it. The chop works at stick length, so you can hit it early. Oh, and stick lifting will cause about a billion penalties, so stick with poking for the most part.
Shooting from various places on the ice is much more useful. You no longer have to work the puck into specific places to score. You can put one in from just about anywhere in the slot between the faceoff dots. Getting in there is tough, and your shooting will not be 100%. Accuracy is improved when in a glide, so power skating into the net with a defender on you is usually a bad time to shoot from far out. In that case, you're better off going 5-hole, which works now, or jamming it and hoping a trailing player will pick up a rebound. You'll get more "garbage" goals and will probably snipe a few more on the goalie from the slot area as you skate in. Last year was all one-timers and dangling the goalie. Not anymore. In a sense, the AI goalie is more in line with a very good human goalie from last year. They anticipate better, but you can beat them from more places on the ice.
A 2-man cycle is still effective, but it's hard to keep it going with the frequency of broken plays from interceptions, deflected pucks, slow pucks and poor passing accuracy. You can't cycle and wait for the perfect pass in front of the net, because the person out front will more often than not be covered. If you get a lane to drive the net from the half boards or behind the net, you have to take it. Right now, a lot of players are just using speed to try to drive wide around defenders to go to the net and create chances. I prefer to mix it up, because the momentum in the skating will causing defenders to overplay you if you can do a quick stop. You can pass to an inside trailer behind you if you carry into the offensive zone on the boards, and he can usually get a decent shot from the high slot area which might lead to a rebound. Carrying it in, coming to a full stop and putting the puck into the corner for a trailer to chase also works pretty well.
AI goalies are very good and much more interesting. They're soft enough that you feel like you can shoot from anywhere and score, but they'll save about 90% of the shots they face. They're incredibly good on wide one-timers, coming across the crease with great speed. The shooter should go far corner, rather than short side, if he can hit it, because the goalies will overplay the one-timer and lose their net a bit. It's very hard to do. This year, you seem to be better off lining up for one-timers in the hash marks, or just slightly inside the far post. You can't rely on it as a strategy because it's very hard to pass into that area. One-timers form the point are very effective for scoring and generating rebound chances, especially because people tend to not guard your defenders well.
As a defensive strategy, a box plus one formation works very well. Don't over commit to attacking players, because with the new momentum in the skating, you can't recover if the guy gets around you. Just force the puck carrier to the boards and make sure he can't get into the prime scoring area in the slots or between the faceoff dots. If your defenders go into the corners, the center should take their place on the post. Having a "roaver" center in the D-zone is usually more simple. Just make sure to keep the puck carrier on the outside, and everyone else should man up and cover a lane/passing target.
Goaltending is a lot of fun, but your stats start way too low. It's hard to unlock boosts, because you have to do them in club, but no one will want you to play with your low stats. You can play in OTP to try to unlock your cards, but it's hard to get the wins when your guy sucks. The controls are way better though, with the "anticipation" control with the right stick replacing the entirely useless manual saves. You push the stick in the direction you think the puck will go in to get an improved chance of making the save, but if you guess wrong, you're weaker on the other side. Helps on one-timers or cross-crease plays. Beating human-controlled goalies is a bit easier, because they lose their net more often, but I'd say human goalies have been given much better tools this year. The animations allow them to make a lot more saves.
The best way to play this game is still 6 vs 6 in club. This year, there is supposed to be a separate leader board for 6 vs 6 play. If you back out of games during matchmaking or during a game, you get penalized by gaining points from your next win. Matchmaking seems to keep you playing opponents on your level most of the time, so there is no reason to back out anyway. You can assign a captain and two assistant captains to your club, which really does nothing but put a C or an A on their jersey, but it does look pretty cool. Club features have not changed, with the exception of being able to hop teams a little more easily. You can change twice in a 12 hour period, instead of once in 24 hours.