Are there enough penalties?

[Tonic]

I know that there were hardly penalties called upon release, especially offline, and EA has since released tuners to address this issue. All of the slider sets posted on this site have both the general Penalties slider and the CPU Penalties slider at max, but many people (including myself) feel that the CPU still doesn't take enough penalties. The main reason for this is that the CPU just doesn't commit enough penalties.

About 90% of the penalties committed by the CPU are either interference or roughing, mostly stemming from the CPU's aggressiveness to check everything that moves. I know that I can turn down aggressiveness, but even with that slider really low, this is still an issue (among many others). A good way to see what I mean is to play 1 on 1 in practice mode. As you move towards the CPU defender, he will just try to check you, instead of retreating and using a poke check. Now, if the CPU would use their sticks more often, they would surely commit more slashing/high sticking/tripping penalties, bringing a much better balance to the penalties called, and also increasing the number of penalties that the CPU will take.

With that being said, most of these interference/roughing penalties occur away from the puck, and some are just awful calls. I would really like to see a tuner update that greatly increases the CPU's poke check/stick lift tendency. Not only would it solve the penalties issue once and for all, it would also ensure the CPU has better defensive positioning on the ice.

[hockeyguru15]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tonic

I know that there were hardly penalties called upon release, especially offline, and EA has since released tuners to address this issue. All of the slider sets posted on this site have both the general Penalties slider and the CPU Penalties slider at max, but many people (including myself) feel that the CPU still doesn't take enough penalties. The main reason for this is that the CPU just doesn't commit enough penalties. About 90% of the penalties committed by the CPU are either interference or roughing, mostly stemming from the CPU's aggressiveness to check everything that moves. I know that I can turn down aggressiveness, but even with that slider really low, this is still an issue (among many others). A good way to see what I mean is to play 1 on 1 in practice mode. As you move towards the CPU defender, he will just try to check you, instead of retreating and using a poke check. Now, if the CPU would use their sticks more often, they would surely commit more slashing/high sticking/tripping penalties, bringing a much better balance to the penalties called, and also increasing the number of penalties that the CPU will take. With that being said, most of these interference/roughing penalties occur away from the puck, and some are just awful calls. I would really like to see a tuner update that greatly increases the CPU's poke check/stick lift tendency. Not only would it solve the penalties issue once and for all, it would also ensure the CPU has better defensive positioning on the ice.

I TOTALLY agree with you, man!

[Tonic]

Thanks for the support. Hopefully this is continuing to be monitored by EA

[Cycloniac]

It's now late February and I'm still trying to solve this penalty problem.

EA, for goodness sakes, this was an issue in NHL 12 too. It was fine in NHL 10, why on earth is this an issue again now?

The frustration continues.

[Tonic]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cycloniac

The frustration continues.

I think this sums up my experience with NHL 12 and 13 pretty well. Rosters, sliders, all of it. I really want to love this game. I really do. But the online crowd drives the direction of the game, so most changes are made to help them, not us offline guys.

I'm sure there is some type of internal formula for EA that determines how much a CPU player will body check vs stick lift vs poke check. Increase stick lift and poke check tendencies, lower the goalie speed post to post, and you'll have an awesome game!

[Keso Paghuni]

The only thing regarding penalties that bothers me is when the computer takes a penalty

[clarkkent70]

The sliders do not have enough of an impact in my opinion. Maximum penalties should be so many that maybe it's even not realistic to have so many, and zero should be hardly any for anyone, where it seems unrealistically low. Then you can go up or lower to suit your own idea of what's best. The sliders must be tuned to have a greater effect in game.

And then more so when you set the individual sliders for CPU and CPU teammates, then if I have the CPU at max, and my CPU teammates at zero (which I do), then it should be at least a ratio of 3:1 or more for CPU penalties over mine.

I have not seen an elbowing penalty at all this year. I have not had the CPU once check me from behind or board me. I get high sticking if the CPU aggressiveness is way up, and roughing and interference, and then sometimes if I am on a breakaway I get a trip. I have gotten some delay of game stuff for shooting the puck over the glass in the defensive zone. But if I put the aggressiveness down to 2, I am the only team who gets penalties, and most are my CPU teammates.

That is not how it should be. Even with the CPU penalty slider and general penalty slider at max, I am getting maybe 2 a game each team, and typically equal between my players and the AI team, even though my slider is at zero and there's is at max. Unrealistic.

[Tonic]

Quote: Originally Posted by clarkkent70

The sliders do not have enough of an impact in my opinion. Maximum penalties should be so many that maybe it's even not realistic to have so many, and zero should be hardly any for anyone, where it seems unrealistically low. Then you can go up or lower to suit your own idea of what's best. The sliders must be tuned to have a greater effect in game. And then more so when you set the individual sliders for CPU and CPU teammates, then if I have the CPU at max, and my CPU teammates at zero (which I do), then it should be at least a ratio of 3:1 or more for CPU penalties over mine. I have not seen an elbowing penalty at all this year. I have not had the CPU once check me from behind or board me. I get high sticking if the CPU aggressiveness is way up, and roughing and interference, and then sometimes if I am on a breakaway I get a trip. I have gotten some delay of game stuff for shooting the puck over the glass in the defensive zone. But if I put the aggressiveness down to 2, I am the only team who gets penalties, and most are my CPU teammates. That is not how it should be. Even with the CPU penalty slider and general penalty slider at max, I am getting maybe 2 a game each team, and typically equal between my players and the AI team, even though my slider is at zero and there's is at max. Unrealistic.

I certainly agree that the penalties slider should have a much bigger range. This would allow for more customization for each user, which is the point of a slider in the first place