I am looking to be more specific with the feed back we are getting from this community to bring the best detail and information back to EA. This thread I want to dedicate specifically to EASHL game play. What are your thoughts on how the game play is? What improvements would you like to see? Here are my thoughts thus far; Straight line skating with the puck is a bit too slow. I would like to see a tuner to increase game speed. I'd like to see the EASHL builds get an increase to endurance. Right stick dekeing bleeds off too much speed when turning. Right stick movement in general appears to be too slow Success rate of dekes while moving quickly needs to be adjusted to allow a higher success rate. Passing feels good to me. Pick ups appear to be better. Pick up animations that "warp" you forward need to be removed. Player models appear a bit large giving 6v6 a claustrophobic feeling. Please be specific on what game play changes you like and dislike. If you have video or stream links to support your thoughts post those as well Thanks -Brodie
hit the nail on the head with your points. biggest ones for me are game speed, slow turning, slow right stick movement when stick handling side to side. if those are fixed the game becomes 10x better for me
Biggest issue I have is relatively simple dekes you can't preform with certain builds. I run HSNP, JPLY, PWF, and no matter the speed 60% of the time I lose the puck on a toe drag, the new between the legs, or any new deke. Feels redundant to add moves only certain builds can pull off. I don't deke a ton, but when I need to pull one off or see an opportunity, seems I just turn it over to myself lol.
agree with lots of the points you make, another thing though is i do feel like the poke check is a little too strong just because of how big the players are and there isn't much room on the ice to use when the pokes are so strong. i really like how much they tuned down the tips on shots and how they took a lot of the animations away...one thing i'd like to see improve even further is just the pickups in front of the net can be a cluster fuck sometimes and can lead to some stupid goals. lastly, i feel like the turning is quite inconsistent as i can either turn and cut on a dime or take a wide ass unecessary turn/pivot.
I feel skinny as a goalie. Even when I have the angle it seems the puck will sneak by more often. You almost have to over commit on shots or you're going to get sniped. One positive thing I have noticed is that they improved the right thumb stick function for goalies in that you can use it better to get to wraps. Better than 17 anyways. You don't slide right outta the net much anymore. Last year the right thumb stick was terrible to use.
Being poke checked from behind without tripping that needs to be improved alot thats a big thing that really pisses me off alot.
I love the High Sticks in this game the only issue I have is probably the addition of the R3 button for Poke checks but thats Minor. Id really like to see GM connected be back but thats just my opinion.
The R3/RS button combo for chopping fills a bit clumsy and inconsistent. I find the opposite regarding pickups - they seem much worse. The animations when you do pick it up appear to be better, but players just ignore the puck way too frequently. Played some goalie last night, really love the feel. Moves a lot smoother now, and it's great that you can actually get off the post to make a save now. Still issues with floaters from the blue line though - seems like the goalie can't time the save animation and ends up wiffing. Skating feels better in most regards. I do miss the stride dekes (LS + RS) though, even if I don't use them a ton.
Adding to these great points, and this is just something I'm being nitpicky over, but does anyone else notice how often the net gets pushed off? At least 3 times a game the whistle goes because of this and not only does it slow down the game, but its such a nuissance when it happens so often.
While goalie speed is increased, which is good, the save animation seems slow. I'd like to see a game where the goalie is actually rewarded for playing well positioned and making the right movement to make a save. This is especially noticeable in the 3v3 where there are tons of odd man breaks against. It would be ideal to increase the average save percentage of goalies from 80% in NHL 17 to something more comparable to a real life stats of goalies.
Game speed is fine Endurance is good. People need to learn they can't just sprint all over the ice. Deking works well where it makes you slow down. Since in real life you cant really full spring pull off some of the dekes. Success rate of dekes while moving quickly needs to be adjusted to allow a higher success rate. Passing feels good to me. Pick ups are better for sure. Pick up animations that "warp" you forward need to be removed. NHL Ice feels crowded because that's how it is in real life. Teams have to pass to make space and I like how the game is forcing this. I still see legacy issues like pucks thru boards, bunny jumps, weird unrealistic wraps.
Puck chops are in the game. Click your right stick in and move it in the direction you want the puck to go. Takes good timing and some getting used to.
I think the basic between the legs deke should be easier to do. Stickhandling should be a bit quicker particularly when turning bc it slows too much
Straight line skating with the puck is a bit too slow. I would like to see a tuner to increase game speed. -- feels fine to me on certain builds that are quick and have the quick first step I'd like to see the EASHL builds get an increase to endurance. --yes really id like to make my own build make everyone a legand 3 and let us create our own skater Right stick dekeing bleeds off too much speed when turning: --yes Right stick movement in general appears to be too slow:-- yes the dekeing and movent of the stick is to slow Success rate of dekes while moving quickly needs to be adjusted to allow a higher success rate. --yes Passing feels good to me.-- its a bit off doesnt feel like its at the right spot yet Pick ups appear to be better.--- no pickups still are bad if moving fast pick ups go to shit Pick up animations that "warp" you forward need to be removed. --yes Player models appear a bit large giving 6v6 a claustrophobic feeling.-- yes
Reading all these comments, EA needs to make an arcade for most of you. Everyone asking for deking while in full sprint, more space on the ice, and faster speed. The real NHL surface is small and crowded. EASHL mimmicks it pretty well.
-Puck pick up seems to be worse IMO, so many times missing passes or skating by a puck after its lost -Defensive skill stick seems to be VERY situational, to the point where I don't even think its needed -Seems like defensemen in position are not rewarded (i.e. not intercepting puck while in passing lane, less success then nhl 17) -Dekeing seems to be a bit lopsided, either works perfect one game or doesn't work at all, and animations seem off kilter -Slow blocker save animation is still in game for goalies, it needs to go. A simple wrist shot blocker side from point should not go in due to bad and slow blocker animation if I am in perfect position.(no video but goalies should know what I am talking about.) -Hits are too sensitive, accidentally bumping a player looks like they got hit by an oncoming semi -Lower or just eliminate the net coming off, went from not at all in 17 to way too much in 18, find a medium or just cut it
As a goalie, here are some of my observations of the NHL 18 beta. ° Post-hug (LB) is very inconsistent. Often times, the goalie will unnecessarily look right at the post and make a long skating animation towards the post instead of simply quickly leaning against the post. This is frustrating because skaters are able to quickly twitch around and move the puck while goalies are busy with unnecessary animations. ° One-timers are too easy and require virtually no skill. Any mediocre forward is able to stand at the backdoor or slot, holding the Right Stick up, and score off one-timers. Goalies usually either have to cheat over to try and make the save, or get scored on. Goalies need more reaction speed, or one-timers need to be nerfed a bit. My idea is to make automatic one-timers easier to perform while also being a slower and less accurate shot, and make manual one-timers harder to perform while being a faster and more accurate shot. It's frustrating playing goalie while the other team constantly tries for one-timers. ° Breakaways. Goalies need to be able to match the lateral movement of the skaters. We're too slow to match the movements of skaters who can twitch side to side with ease while virtually never losing control of the hockey puck. A possible solution would be to have the goalie's lateral movement speed increase the closer the hockey puck is to the net, possibly only if the skater is on a clear breakaway. ° With all the fancy dekes that skaters have, all the advantages in speed and quickness, why do skaters need to consistently be able to snipe that inch of sunshine on the short side? ° When tracking the shooter with the left stick, goalies often use the right stick to quickly slide over to the opposite side to make a save on a pass. It seems that the goalie often doesn't actually move when using the right stick while using the left stick as well. I would suggest that using the right stick should override the use of the left stick. Theoretically, this would allow us goalies to move across for the pass with the right stick instead of getting stuck where we were standing. ° Fix the issue where the goalie tries to move from post-to-post while hugging the post and ends up hugging the middle of the net. I can't believe this wasn't fixed last year, let alone still an issue this year. ° Fix goalie interference. Goals should not be allowed when the goalie makes a pad save, but a skater skates into the goalie and knocks both the hockey puck and the goalie in the net. I mean, goalie interference is literally against the rules in the NHL.