jbyrd
October 23rd, 2003, 11:01 AM
First off, let me congratulate the ESPN NHL team, for making the most complete and realistic hockey simulation to date. The players look great, the skating is realistic, and the ice is beautiful. But this game is far from perfect. Here are a few key areas, I feel need improvement.
1. Skating/Stickhandling: While the skating is realistic, real hockey players don't turn around in a circle when they need to go the opposite direction. I realize that you can make a quick stop, and take off in the opposite direction, but this is simply too difficult to accomplish. The stickhandling needs improvement as well. Too often, I find the puck has disappeared when I was just barely touched. And while the protect the puck feature is a great way to avoid that from happening, some automated stick movement to avoid the opposition would be helpful. Also, when you protect the puck, the player stops skating. Which makes it very difficult to make moves around the defense.
2. Puck/Player Physics: The physics behind players and especially the puck, needs a little bit of work. I love how you can play the puck off or around the boards. But this is simply too difficult to be effective with on a regular basis. In the NHL, hockey players are constantly playing the puck off the boards and glass, or passing around the outside of the boards. As far as player physics goes, the only area that may need some work is checking. Sometimes I nail someone, and they barely move. While other times, I barely hit someone and they go flying. This is however, a rare occurence.
3. Player AI: This is an area that seems impossible for anyone to master. The AI in this game is the best to date, however there a few key areas I'd like to point out. The Defensemen, need to hold the offensive zone more. I realize that they will get burned if they don't get back a little bit. But the way the real players do it, is the Defensemen closest to the puck plays the puck, and the other one plays back, all while the Offense backchecks. Also, when I will try to play the puck around the boards to the D, or simply pass it back to them, they will be outside the blue line and go offsides. Passing the point around to the D is crucial in a real hockey game, in order to move the puck and find an opening in the oppositions Defense.
Also, I want to see the computer AI adapt to how you play. Not only you're teammates, but the opposition as well. I want the AI to anticipate my movements, based on what I have done in the past. For example, sometimes on a 2 on 1, the AI will hang back for a rebound when I want him on the opposite side of me for a one timer. For instance, if I am breaking down the middle towards the net, then he should hang back a bit for a rebound. But if I choose a side of the net, he should take the other side and get into position for a one timer. That is just one example. I also want to see the Offense AI move as a unit, if I shift my position as Center to the Leftwing, I want the Rightwing to move to Center and the Leftwinger around the net to the Rightwing position. Of if a Defensemen moves up, someone needs to be there to cover him. Hockey is an extremely positional game.
4. Goalie AI: The goalies in this game are incredibly realistic in a lot of ways. But again, the goalies need to adapt to how I am playing on a particular night. Adjust to the weakness I try to exploit, and make me find new ways to try and score on him. I can't tell you how many times I've been down a few goals, and in under 3 minutes I score three goals on a stick-side onetimer. I try not to use that technique, because it almost always works. But if I'm going to lose, of course I'm going to do all I can to get back into the game. And the goalie needs to come up big to save the game.
5. Injuries: This area is horrible. Injuries are a big deal. And in the game, the guy falls down and right away he's injured for however long with whatever wrong with him. This is all wrong. Have the trainers come out and look at him, take him off the ice. Then have the announcers talk about what happened, talk about his status through-out the game. If he's going to come back, or if he's out for awhile. And not every injury should be 4-6 months. Most should be for a day, a period, two weeks, two months maybe. Extreme cases should be 4-6 months or more, but very extreme. After starting a franchise, and losing all my good players for 4-6 months I just deleted it and started over without injuries. That's not something I want to have to do, to enjoy playing the game.
6. Presentation: This area needs a world of improvement. To be honest with you, I think this is the only area of the game that failed miserably. This is not high school hockey, or children's travel hockey. This is the NHL. And it's not some game company pretending to make up a broadcast. This is ESPN. The premier sports channel in the world. There is a world of improvements to be made in this area. If nothing else, I want to see you focus on nothing but presentation. The gameplay is good, but without a solid presentation the replayability of this game is extremely low.
6a. Preseason: There is no preseason? Huh? That's disappointing. I want a preseason, and even practices before that. I want to be able to improve specific areas of my players thru practices. Players do improve over the course of time. I want control over that. I want to run drills with people to gain points for specific attributes. I want a player's performance in games to slowly improve his attributes. If I have a no-name scoring 40 goals a season, his skills should be improving.
6b. Drafts: The drafting process in this game is horrible. I want Drafting to be a big deal. I want an ESPN Presentation of the Drafting process. Even put the announcers in there. Then I want announcements of each round, and who got who. It doesn't have to be audio announcements, written will do fine. I want to be able to create players for the draft. That way I can introduce myself, perhaps, into the league. Or I can recreate real players who are being drafted. The ultimate, would be updates via the net, for drafts.
6c. In-Game: I want the whole package. I want pre-game stats, both in an overlay over the view of the player warming up, and I want the announcers talking about it. I want them to be able to point out specific strengths and weaknesses of each team based on their performance through-out the year. I want them to pick players who will be crucial in the upcoming game. I want more than just a bit of that, I want a couple minutes of it. People can skip it if they want it. But for the majority of true hockey fans out there who are craving the experience of being in the NHL, we want to feel it all if we want to. During the game, the announcers should follow the play more closely. I realize this is difficult, but it's worth putting some more time into. Also, the announcers should reflect on events earlier in the game. Maybe even have some replays from way earlier in the game, in between plays. They should also talk about previous games in the Season. Or maybe go as far, in Franchise mode, as talking about his performance last season, or in the Playoffs. Also, I want scores from around the league, the announcers should talk about other games.
6d. SPORTSCENTER!!!!!: Or some variation of it. ESPN is known for Sports News. So why can't we have news from our league in Franchise mode? I want a presentation from someone, in an ESPN style setting. I want updates from around the league. And for years, I have been craving replays from games around the league, my own games including AI simulated games. I realize this would probably be difficult. But it would be make the presentation for this game so incredible, that I guarentee you would win the majority of the audience out there.
6e. Playoffs: The playoffs should be a big deal. Every game, should start with an extended presentation, explaining what's going on in the race for Lord Stanley's Cup. Who's coming up big in the playoffs, what teams to look out for, who the winner of this game will play next. I want to see the announcers make picks, based on performance thru the year, for who they think will go all the way. I just finished my first Stanley Cup win, and it was so disappointing. Why did I play a full 82 game season, for a 5 second view of someone holding a poorly rendered Stanley Cup? The Stanley Cup finals is huge to a hockey fan!! I want a pre-game presentation of Lord Stanley's Cup. I want this to be a big deal in the game. I made it all this way, give me something to look forward to. Then after the game, I want a Presentation Ceremony, an award ceremony, interviews with players even. The crowd should be deafening, pounding on the glass, up out of their seats. The announcers should be yelling and praising the winning team. They should all wear Stanley Cup winning hats. I mean, I want the whole package. Everything they do in real life, I want to live in the video game simulation.
7. World Cup/Olympics: I know this is a long shot, but I would like to see the Winter Olympics every 8 years of a franchise. And the World Cup every four years in the Offseason. You have the teams there already, why not incorporate them into the experience?
Well, I will probably add to my wishlist later. But this is a good start. In closing, I feel the biggest area that needs improvement is definately presentation. Sports fanatics crave a solid Presentation, and there is none better than the ESPN name. Computer AI would be a short second, however.
1. Skating/Stickhandling: While the skating is realistic, real hockey players don't turn around in a circle when they need to go the opposite direction. I realize that you can make a quick stop, and take off in the opposite direction, but this is simply too difficult to accomplish. The stickhandling needs improvement as well. Too often, I find the puck has disappeared when I was just barely touched. And while the protect the puck feature is a great way to avoid that from happening, some automated stick movement to avoid the opposition would be helpful. Also, when you protect the puck, the player stops skating. Which makes it very difficult to make moves around the defense.
2. Puck/Player Physics: The physics behind players and especially the puck, needs a little bit of work. I love how you can play the puck off or around the boards. But this is simply too difficult to be effective with on a regular basis. In the NHL, hockey players are constantly playing the puck off the boards and glass, or passing around the outside of the boards. As far as player physics goes, the only area that may need some work is checking. Sometimes I nail someone, and they barely move. While other times, I barely hit someone and they go flying. This is however, a rare occurence.
3. Player AI: This is an area that seems impossible for anyone to master. The AI in this game is the best to date, however there a few key areas I'd like to point out. The Defensemen, need to hold the offensive zone more. I realize that they will get burned if they don't get back a little bit. But the way the real players do it, is the Defensemen closest to the puck plays the puck, and the other one plays back, all while the Offense backchecks. Also, when I will try to play the puck around the boards to the D, or simply pass it back to them, they will be outside the blue line and go offsides. Passing the point around to the D is crucial in a real hockey game, in order to move the puck and find an opening in the oppositions Defense.
Also, I want to see the computer AI adapt to how you play. Not only you're teammates, but the opposition as well. I want the AI to anticipate my movements, based on what I have done in the past. For example, sometimes on a 2 on 1, the AI will hang back for a rebound when I want him on the opposite side of me for a one timer. For instance, if I am breaking down the middle towards the net, then he should hang back a bit for a rebound. But if I choose a side of the net, he should take the other side and get into position for a one timer. That is just one example. I also want to see the Offense AI move as a unit, if I shift my position as Center to the Leftwing, I want the Rightwing to move to Center and the Leftwinger around the net to the Rightwing position. Of if a Defensemen moves up, someone needs to be there to cover him. Hockey is an extremely positional game.
4. Goalie AI: The goalies in this game are incredibly realistic in a lot of ways. But again, the goalies need to adapt to how I am playing on a particular night. Adjust to the weakness I try to exploit, and make me find new ways to try and score on him. I can't tell you how many times I've been down a few goals, and in under 3 minutes I score three goals on a stick-side onetimer. I try not to use that technique, because it almost always works. But if I'm going to lose, of course I'm going to do all I can to get back into the game. And the goalie needs to come up big to save the game.
5. Injuries: This area is horrible. Injuries are a big deal. And in the game, the guy falls down and right away he's injured for however long with whatever wrong with him. This is all wrong. Have the trainers come out and look at him, take him off the ice. Then have the announcers talk about what happened, talk about his status through-out the game. If he's going to come back, or if he's out for awhile. And not every injury should be 4-6 months. Most should be for a day, a period, two weeks, two months maybe. Extreme cases should be 4-6 months or more, but very extreme. After starting a franchise, and losing all my good players for 4-6 months I just deleted it and started over without injuries. That's not something I want to have to do, to enjoy playing the game.
6. Presentation: This area needs a world of improvement. To be honest with you, I think this is the only area of the game that failed miserably. This is not high school hockey, or children's travel hockey. This is the NHL. And it's not some game company pretending to make up a broadcast. This is ESPN. The premier sports channel in the world. There is a world of improvements to be made in this area. If nothing else, I want to see you focus on nothing but presentation. The gameplay is good, but without a solid presentation the replayability of this game is extremely low.
6a. Preseason: There is no preseason? Huh? That's disappointing. I want a preseason, and even practices before that. I want to be able to improve specific areas of my players thru practices. Players do improve over the course of time. I want control over that. I want to run drills with people to gain points for specific attributes. I want a player's performance in games to slowly improve his attributes. If I have a no-name scoring 40 goals a season, his skills should be improving.
6b. Drafts: The drafting process in this game is horrible. I want Drafting to be a big deal. I want an ESPN Presentation of the Drafting process. Even put the announcers in there. Then I want announcements of each round, and who got who. It doesn't have to be audio announcements, written will do fine. I want to be able to create players for the draft. That way I can introduce myself, perhaps, into the league. Or I can recreate real players who are being drafted. The ultimate, would be updates via the net, for drafts.
6c. In-Game: I want the whole package. I want pre-game stats, both in an overlay over the view of the player warming up, and I want the announcers talking about it. I want them to be able to point out specific strengths and weaknesses of each team based on their performance through-out the year. I want them to pick players who will be crucial in the upcoming game. I want more than just a bit of that, I want a couple minutes of it. People can skip it if they want it. But for the majority of true hockey fans out there who are craving the experience of being in the NHL, we want to feel it all if we want to. During the game, the announcers should follow the play more closely. I realize this is difficult, but it's worth putting some more time into. Also, the announcers should reflect on events earlier in the game. Maybe even have some replays from way earlier in the game, in between plays. They should also talk about previous games in the Season. Or maybe go as far, in Franchise mode, as talking about his performance last season, or in the Playoffs. Also, I want scores from around the league, the announcers should talk about other games.
6d. SPORTSCENTER!!!!!: Or some variation of it. ESPN is known for Sports News. So why can't we have news from our league in Franchise mode? I want a presentation from someone, in an ESPN style setting. I want updates from around the league. And for years, I have been craving replays from games around the league, my own games including AI simulated games. I realize this would probably be difficult. But it would be make the presentation for this game so incredible, that I guarentee you would win the majority of the audience out there.
6e. Playoffs: The playoffs should be a big deal. Every game, should start with an extended presentation, explaining what's going on in the race for Lord Stanley's Cup. Who's coming up big in the playoffs, what teams to look out for, who the winner of this game will play next. I want to see the announcers make picks, based on performance thru the year, for who they think will go all the way. I just finished my first Stanley Cup win, and it was so disappointing. Why did I play a full 82 game season, for a 5 second view of someone holding a poorly rendered Stanley Cup? The Stanley Cup finals is huge to a hockey fan!! I want a pre-game presentation of Lord Stanley's Cup. I want this to be a big deal in the game. I made it all this way, give me something to look forward to. Then after the game, I want a Presentation Ceremony, an award ceremony, interviews with players even. The crowd should be deafening, pounding on the glass, up out of their seats. The announcers should be yelling and praising the winning team. They should all wear Stanley Cup winning hats. I mean, I want the whole package. Everything they do in real life, I want to live in the video game simulation.
7. World Cup/Olympics: I know this is a long shot, but I would like to see the Winter Olympics every 8 years of a franchise. And the World Cup every four years in the Offseason. You have the teams there already, why not incorporate them into the experience?
Well, I will probably add to my wishlist later. But this is a good start. In closing, I feel the biggest area that needs improvement is definately presentation. Sports fanatics crave a solid Presentation, and there is none better than the ESPN name. Computer AI would be a short second, however.