NHL 14 Gameplay Video - '94 Anniversary Mode

[Weapon X]

Something I thought about that didn't really make sense after watching the video. Rammer said that they actually tried implementing stick collisions, but that when they test played it the game felt "too frustrating given the lack of stick control the game currently possesses". Could this be because the poke/stick check doesn't do what it should, in that it's not always directed towards the puck? I mean, as it is now it's 50/50 dice roll, and it makes your skater look extremely stupid to just sit there and poke at open ice when the opposition is fumbling with the puck not two feet away from him. If the stick check was always focused on getting the puck away, and was automatically aimed in it's direction every time it was used, wouldn't one think that would help things exponentially and possibly limit those frustrations?

Perhaps this concept, in conjunction with the one that follows could help aid in the "problems" with fully live sticks. What if holding R1/RB (near an opposing player) could trigger a live "jostle" animation, where your player actively attempts to dig the puck away or gain favorable position from the opposing player if the basic stick check is out of reach of the puck? So for instance if you're trailing a guy by say half a step with your defenseman, holding R1/RB will put you into a jostle state with the forward. This wouldn't always produce the "desired" jostle state however, as attempting it from certain distances and angles can result in procedural animations that can lead to penalties (legit holding calls?), or ineffective use, like helplessly slashing the offensive players arm in a last ditch attempt to deter him. The procedural animations will also take into account whether or not the opposition took notice and shielded the puck at the proper time. If your use does result in one of the "premium" jostle animations, the outcome will depend on the defensive players fatigue level and ratings in stick checking, def awareness, strength, and discipline vs the attacking player's fatigue level and ratings of balance, puck control, strength, and offensive awareness. So if the attacking player has a low balance rating, it's more likely that a good, strong defender can cause him to blow a tire if he gets caught, but he may be able to still put the puck on net if he has good puck control. Ideally, this concept would also branch into the board pin mechanics, making them feel more organic and less rigid / predetermined.

Eh, just a thought. The late night ramblings of an OSer, I suppose.

WX

[TjJunior]

Quote: Originally Posted by Weapon X

Something I thought about that didn't really make sense after watching the video. Rammer said that they actually tried implementing stick collisions, but that when they test played it the game felt "too frustrating given the lack of stick control the game currently possesses". Could this be because the poke/stick check doesn't do what it should, in that it's not always directed towards the puck? I mean, as it is now it's 50/50 dice roll, and it makes your skater look extremely stupid to just sit there and poke at open ice when the opposition is fumbling with the puck not two feet away from him. If the stick check was always focused on getting the puck away, and was automatically aimed in it's direction every time it was used, wouldn't one think that would help things exponentially and possibly limit those frustrations? Perhaps this concept, in conjunction with the one that follows could help aid in the "problems" with fully live sticks. What if holding R1/RB (near an opposing player) could trigger a live "jostle" animation, where your player actively attempts to dig the puck away or gain favorable position from the opposing player if the basic stick check is out of reach of the puck? So for instance if you're trailing a guy by say half a step with your defenseman, holding R1/RB will put you into a jostle state with the forward. This wouldn't always produce the "desired" jostle state however, as attempting it from certain distances and angles can result in procedural animations that can lead to penalties (legit holding calls?), or ineffective use, like helplessly slashing the offensive players arm in a last ditch attempt to deter him. The procedural animations will also take into account whether or not the opposition took notice and shielded the puck at the proper time. If your use does result in one of the "premium" jostle animations, the outcome will depend on the defensive players fatigue level and ratings in stick checking, def awareness, strength, and discipline vs the attacking player's fatigue level and ratings of balance, puck control, strength, and offensive awareness. So if the attacking player has a low balance rating, it's more likely that a good, strong defender can cause him to blow a tire if he gets caught, but he may be able to still put the puck on net if he has good puck control. Ideally, this concept would also branch into the board pin mechanics, making them feel more organic and less rigid / predetermined. Eh, just a thought. The late night ramblings of an OSer, I suppose. WX

Its a great idea, one they should have implemented by now as you see it actually happen on ice. 2k10 does somethingl like that, but just with the stick lift button. I can't wait to see the day when EA puts a gameplay mechanic like poke checks, stick lifts, and board pinning and actually evolve it past the point of implementation. I guess all that stuff gets affected when you go back to re-work the basic fundamentals of the game ie. hitting and skating. No bashing, just stating whats obvious to me.

[ComaFaction]

Not impressed with that gameplay footage at all. Player spinning around oddly during play, silly looking responses to hitting, identical presentation. Pretty disappointed, to say the least.

[psymin1]

Exactly what I expected: a waste of development time. What a disappointment.

[GlennN]

Agreed this is not the tremendous addition they are claiming it to be. With no Franchise mode (or even season mode for that matter), I can't imagine playing this way more than once. And, again, it occurs they could have used these resources for something far more important (revising BeAGM comes to mind)

[Peter10]

Honestly, i dont think it took any serious development time. I guess one programmer could have done this during the lunch break. Changing the ice color shouldnt take a whole lot, just like the little stuff that is shown on the jumbo tron. Add a few jingles from the original game, change the sliders and be done with it.

I would even go as far and saying that implementing the original NHL 94 as a gimmie would have taken more development time than this.

[Panther84]

Well for the first time in years i'm not looking forward to a NHL game. This is NHL 13.5 with new hitting animations and fighting. I wish people would stop using the term "Pre-build" in sports games usually what you see pre-release is what you're going to get

[adayinthelife]

Quote: Originally Posted by Peter10

Honestly, i dont think it took any serious development time. I guess one programmer could have done this during the lunch break. Changing the ice color shouldnt take a whole lot, just like the little stuff that is shown on the jumbo tron. Add a few jingles from the original game, change the sliders and be done with it. I would even go as far and saying that implementing the original NHL 94 as a gimmie would have taken more development time than this.

I'll preface this by saying I know nothing about programming, but I would be inclined to agree with this. That's why it's so god damn frustrating that they have been touting the **** out of this "mode" for the past couple weeks. They've likely spent more time talking about it than it took to implement it.