Goon Squad?

What’s up LG. I am not one to usually speak out on something like this. But this season really has me thinking about something that I see as a major flaw. I am rather surprised that it hasn’t been discussed.

My goal here is too bring up a honest discussion amongst the community. In no way am I trying to single out the league or any team or individual player.

I enjoy playing organized competitive league play more so then club. It brings a whole new challenge and is enjoyable even with a semi broken version of NHL. But I am also about everything being on as level of a playing field as possible.

This fighting animation off the draw to gain an advantage is a flaw. Clearly no one wants bots on the ice. Exactly why we re start games after lag outs and back out of club games when someone drops.

The only way to stop teams currently is to drop the gloves. In a few situations this season my team stood up to this and let that crazy AI hop over the boards to join the fun. Every time this happened we received a message saying dude it’s LG why are you fighting? Did they stop? You betcha they did.

It might just be time to go out and bring some old school real time NHL back. The return of the goon is fast approaching. Those AIs better keep those skates sharpened.

It’s a shame I have to say this first but I will. Mainly because internet bullying seems to be a huge thing here. I am an adult that works in the professional sports industry. Which is heavily male oriented and I have nothing but respect for all the hard working females in my industry.

I also respect any female that currently plays in LG or video games in general. I am also happy that NHL chose to add a female character to the game. It was a very fair decision on their part. They also made it so females can’t fight. Another smart decision by NHL.

That right there in itself leads to a major flaw. If skating around as a female skater is what you choose to do. Then you have every right too regardless of who is behind the controller.

NHL decided to not allow females skaters to fight. Yet every skater can gain an advantage to jump the draw by going female and choosing to offer a fight. With no way to counter or stop it? Major flaw.

The problem lies with the fact that too many skaters are taking advantage of this game flaw. Just to gain an advantage. “The McGregor” dance is supposed to be a goal celebration not on every single faceoff.

S36 Goon Squad might be introduced as a defensive strategy to counter “The McGregor”. But there is no way to counter the “Ronda Rousey”.

The well you can go female and do it back kind of thought doesn’t help. It only adds to the flaw.

Not asking or demanding for a rule change or anything like that. Even though I already would have a few solutions in mind if that was ever up for discussion. But that is not my place and not my goal here.

Sorry for the book. After watching a skater swing their stick at me and dance non stop all season at the draw. I just feel the need to speak up while it was fresh.

Thank you for making it this far if you did and hearing me out. I am just very curious about how the community feels on this topic.

Schween

 

Interesting thoughts and you’re not wrong. It’s an exploit in the game that should be fixed.

 

People can just use girls and keep doing the exploit or whatever you wanna call it.

It's hard for the league to implement rules over things that are in the game. Like if it's in the game, why shouldn't we be able to do it? It's not like the other team can't do it as well.

 

I can say the exact same thing about board playing yourself to slip by players in years past or diving in the offensive zone which was also something to stop a glitch. They have implemented rules to stop "exploits" and I mean it wouldn't be unheard of. I wouldn't necessarily say this situation is as game breaking as doing and offensive zone dive at a goalie to make him loose the puck but it's still something not functioning as intended

 

Good write up, definitely have an argument. If @BWZinc is on the ice and someone tries that as a male character, you already know the mitts are flyin

 

I mean it's a pretty simple solution - it is by no means right and politically correct but you can ban the use of female characters. That way you can choose to fight the male character or not. Again this is not the correct solution and I am not way advocating for it but this would seem to be the simple solution until EA patches it.

And wolf it is a HUGE advantage to get that jump off the faceoff so I would consider it game breaking if players got a huge advantage off the faceoff and got a breakaway or something and scored the game winning goal in a tight playoff game to knock the team out - just like the puck in the pads glitch that has since be thankfully fixed - can you imagine if that costed you your entire season? ooof

 

There's a rule about board play? God damn I'm about to get banned for a long time.

 

How is it a HUGE advantage if the other can do the exact same thing on the exact same faceoff?

 

The POINT is it should NOT be in the game and using it is just greasy - it IS A HUGE advantage if the player is using a female character and you can't do anything about it regardless if you can "do the exact same thing on the exact same faceoff" also not everyone wants to play as a female character just because they "have to in order to keep others from using the faceoff glitch"

 

You can still do the exploit yourself tho, female characters won't be able to fight you either? I'm confused how it's SO BIG of an advantage.

Your only argument is, I don't want to fight. But I don't want people to fly off the draw, when I could fly off the draw too. As if flying off the draw wasn't defendable, like anything else that's in the game.

 

I mostly agree with you but the glitch with diving at the goalie on a puck that was about to be frozen to knock it out was much more detrimental to gameplay. That doesn't mean I think this fighting thing isn't kind bullshit, because it is, just that it isn't necessarily a direct problem and playing good defense can more or less neutralize it to a degree. Imagine that puck in the pads, then amplified x5 that's just how game breaking that diving thing was. Truthfully since literally day 1 of being back in the league after my break I have expected some kind of call to kill the fighting thing.

 

It literally gives an advantage on one thing and one thing only and it's the tie up play with the winger cutting between the dmen and if your defensemen aren't ready for that play in NHL 20. Your management, if you ain't the manager, did bidding wrong.

 

I can't believe you don't understand that it's an exploit that's not supposed to be "IN THE GAME" and before they have had a chance to patch it people are abusing the shit out of it - no it's not on those people for abusing it but to the integrity of the league there should be at least a gentlemen's agreement to not use it. But if you can't see that I don't know man....

 

I just don't get how people abuse the shit out of it? I haven't seen it change anything in the game since the beginning of the game when the tie up play surprised a few people. 6-7 months into the game? When people ask for a fight, it literally just tells your center, as the team facing the "exploiters" that a tie up is coming. Like it's low key an advantage for the opposing team at this point of the game where everyone knows of this so called "exploit that ruins the integrity of the league." Fuck outta here.

 

This is a valid argument. It's not a super big advantage anymore but either way it's still a malfunction I'm some way. Like I said earlier it's not breaking this game but it's still something we shouldn't be using like that. I know for a fact my team would bait that fight and then just not tie up and stick lift it to the winger and just toss a tie up every once in awhile to catch people with their pants down.

 

Damn. So they would bait that they're using an exploit, only to not use it. Buncha cheaters that makes you. Would never know how to defend that.

Like how ridiculous is this argument? It's in the game, it doesn't really affect the game. If anything it adds a little extra mental aspect to the "faceoffs battles." I just don't get how people are so outrageously against it. Whether it was intended to be in the game or not, it's in the game and it's defendable, so what's the big deal?

 

Yes I do that too - bait the faceoff play and then stick lift - so while yes "most" people are going for the tie up when the fighting glitch is activated not all are. I mean it is what it is I guess but the thread is completely legit and maybe we should throw up a poll if anyone would like it to be addressed moving into s36? I know from my close group of friends we all hate it but have had to resort to a few of our wingers switching to female characters just to combat it.

 

Great Write up, love the thought and you’ve definitely got something here.

LG is supposed to be Simulation League after all, and you don’t see line brawls and guys asking for fights on EVERY face off. If anything it’s the exact opposite, wanting to fight maybe 1-2 faceoffs a game.

Solution A: No Female characters, let the trolls still spam the fight button if they want, and so be it sit for 5 Minutes.

Solution B: Ban the animation all-together at the draw, no need for it.
(Probably the most realistic option)

 

I'm speechless how this is a thing for so long and has YET to be dealt with.

 

I would propose to amend the rulebook.

a minor penalty should be taken by a team using a female skater and fight animation to jump the draw

 

I did it in SNP when the winger beside me was a girl and I got fought.