EA NHL Gamechanger Update

League gaming version:

• We played the game in it's first Beta state.
• We saw all the modes and features that will be included
• I liked what I saw.
• Tested and teaked the gameplay for most of the time.
• I liked it.
• Well liked where it was trying to go at least..
• If everything is implemented, fixed and tuned, I will be very excited for this title.
• Foote sucks.

Update # 2

Hey guys,

Another weekend and another Gamechanger event has come and gone. The meeting took place in Burnaby, British Columbia and we stayed in a hotel much closer to the Electronic Arts building. This as a result allowed us to stay late if need be at the studio.

The main reason we were there was to get our hands on an Alpha / just turned Beta of the next "Iteration of EA Sports NHL and game modes." The developers were extremely interested on knowing our thoughts and provided us with a work space so that any feedback we had could be written on these white boards. The room was very open as compared to a game testing session which some of you may have experienced in the past. Game testing sessions would often have you in your own private "cubicles", while this room allowed me to play the game in it's glory while blurting out profanity's and swears for everyone to hear.

The room setup: http://gyazo.com/6b3ac6da771f6126af4eb0cb6f4a50b8
(Thanks to whoever took this photo and shared it for us)

The event was two days total and while it seemed like it should be enough time to test everything, it definitely was not. Both days included around 9 hour sessions of feedback and playtime. I did not get around to testing everything to the depth that I wanted to, but we did get to test the important features that were curical to the next "Iteration of EA Sports NHL." Being an early Beta meant that everything that was supposed to be included in the game has been implemented, however they still will require major tuning and fixing. This meant that we got a full look at everything that was going to be in the game, but it was chalked full of bugs and glitches which resulted in hilarious scenarios. I do wish we had more time, as the things EA implemented required much further in depth looks in order for me to give bigger and better feedback for all the modes.

Day one of the event was to give us a good idea on where the game is at, and where it is going. The day started with Rammer giving us a presentation on the modes and features, which actually had all the Game changers pretty excited. I know, I know.. you can say that about any presentation but the thing that we really keyed in on was that they are heading in the right direction.. and again I know any direction from NHL 15 good be considered a good direction. It was just nice to see that some of the things that we talked about and had feedback for from the first event had been of some use.

After the meeting we took a walk through the studio to get a more in depth look at what some of the guys around the office were working on at the moment. With the small background in game design and a dream to work on a NHL title once in my life, I was squealing like a little girl who just had Justin Bieber sign me an autograph. On the inside... on the outside I was making sure to take it all in and ask questions and provide as much feedback as possible to the things being shown to me. I do feel as if the Art team has taken major strides with the opportunities that new consoles will allow them to use, and this will only get better over time.

We got back the the room where we would spend a majority of our time and really got to dig our claws into it. There was plenty to look at and plenty to test. When I sat down I thought I would spent the next few hours going into the modes and providing plenty of feedback for each of them. We ending up playing and testing gameplay for a majority of our time and writing plenty of things on the board for them to change. The room we were in allowed for them to tweak values and push an update so we can play new builds on the fly. This was something I was not expecting and it allowed us to really find what felt right. My favorite part of the weekend was the extensive talks on specific things pertaining to the actual gameplay and on what could be improved on and what wasn't working. There was plenty to talk about and I loved every minute of it. Before we knew it, it was already late and around 9 hours had zoomed by.

Day two was more of the same however there needed to be more time focused on the modes. We did get around to testing all the modes but not to the depth that I wanted too. This was more of a lack of time issue and I really wish we had another day or two so that we could really get into everything. I was however happy that we did focus on the gameplay which really does make or break a game.

My final impressions.. I think the game in general is taking steps in the right direction. I am sure you guys will get that feeling when you see the things that are released in the next few months. The modes that we played will provide hours and hours of fun, the amount of depth that some of them now have are a big reason why. The gameplay still needs a ton of tweaking and tuning, but that's to be expected with an early beta. We provided a ton of a feed back on where things should go from what they have. We are still being asked to provide them our thoughts on absolutely everything which to me is a breath of fresh air.

Like I have said in the past, if everything we talked about is fixed/tuned and finished this is a title I can be very excited about.

P.S. I am not sure if my campaign to get "Ferelli" as a play by play name is going very well.. maybe one day..

 

Zamboni races?

 

Quit overshadowing [MENTION=7765]OvenMitts19[/MENTION] 's #1 ranking

 

Cannot confirm or deny game modes

 

Are they bringing back vision control? which isn't a game mode so hopefully you can answer this one.

 

is eashl 6v6 intact? wink once for yes

... did you wink?

 

llklk

 

like my status for a "tbh"

 

Hi....This Seems cool

 

This is awesome. It's good to hear EA taking the time to bring in/listen to the opinions of the people that play and love this game. Good work, excellent write up.

 

If they can't take more than a lot of strides forward from 15 they are in trouble, that game was rushed and an absolute joke.

 

Is Under DA RINK mode there?

 

Dick Hansel for play by play commentator should be agenda #1.

 

Tell them to fix the skill stick so you don't auto deke any more

 

One thing i did notice were missing in NHL 15 were call names of some rookies and even one person who has a father in the game.

Nylander.

Also my last name"Johnson" has an announcer calling me "Jones" sometimes. So i heard "Johnson" and other times "Jones".

Be that as it may its a small thing but would be cool. Also Phil Kessel by default seems to be #"18"

Aside from that pretty cool.

 

Maybe they make the position indicator colors like they should be too? Ultra-confusing in that crappy otp they have now on the one.

 

I noticed the Johnson vs. Jones thing when playing with Tampa Bay in versus. 'Why the fuck is Jones?!"

 

OP said you suck.