imosi

The Oldtimers (PRO) Looking for a starting LW. Contact me here or via: Discord: imosi PSN: imosi1

2 Free veterans (Imosi RW and Janikka RD/LD) are looking for a new PRO team for upcoming tournaments. Contact me here or psn: imosi1

You do have an excellent point, but the problem is the animations. You can only unlock certain animations with abilities, and you cannot do anything about it even if you have a sniper with over 90 wrist shots. It wasn't like that in NHL 25, for example if I remember right. It has been 8 days now and I've been playing quite much. The meta has clearly changed and it's boring. Think it this way.. let's say for an example like CS2 when certain weapons or movement or headshot mechanics are gated behind skins. Just like in CS2, where some players feel restricted because they don’t have the “right” loadout or gear, in NHL 26 you’re limited by abilities, not skill. Like Savi said, there are plenty of people who thought the previously banned set of abilities was just fine, even in the Elite Division. Almost everyone I've been talking to are saying something different and would be just fine even with only golden abilities. I know that the elite players especially wanted to get rid of the elite sponge but for the rest I really don't know. So I’m really curious..who are these people or this “majority”? It makes absolutely no sense.

Maybe “slow” is the wrong term to use, but I agree 100% with Savi. Right now it’s about waiting for the opponent to make a mistake while sitting in a turtle defense because you dont need to cover all the areas you had to before, then going full speed and crashing the net off the counterattack. When you don’t forecheck, the opponent are making motivation carpets Allowing the golden abilities would at least bring something to the gameplay and it would also add more tactical plays and creativity.

When abilities were in the game, you at least saw some people using smaller players and different player types. Now the gameplay feels so slow that you almost have to use big players and just crash the net to score. Overall, the gameplay feels much slower. It also feels like you score more often by simply crashing the net with big players than by taking a shot from a well-played situation. I think the gameplay would be much more enjoyable with golden abilities. All the tactical plays are now gone as you really don't need to defend shots from far away. Now its like "madden": hitting people, getting pressure, spinning in the corners and then forcing. It's still playable, but it's not that fun anymore. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if fewer teams attend the next ECL. It was fun for the first couple of days, but now it just feels like the same shit every night.

I genuinely think there were some great ideas on how to make this decision in a much better way, whatever the outcome would have been. Perhaps this is the best for the game. It’s impossible to say yet. Maybe we will actually like it much more, we’ll have to see. BUT the way this was handled, like it seems with all the other decisions, was quite poor. We are all paying for this, so I would have at least hoped that the teams/captains had actually been asked what they really wanted, instead of making dictatorship-like decisions. This was first announced too early (in the middle of the season) and then deleted after the reactions. “We have come to this decision based on community feedback.” I’m sorry, but this feels like total nonsense. Where did you get this feedback from? Not here. From what I read and understand in the comments, it’s more like 50-50.

So much for democracy

You make an excellent point here, but the problem is that they should have banned them all from the beginning, not in the middle of the release or during tournaments. I do agree that at some point we have to make a decision, but the best timing would be before the new release so we already know there won’t be abilities when the game launches and that it stays that way. I believe EA will not get rid of the abilities anytime soon (ever), as they make money from them. I’d also like to comment on the statement that “bans would not be based on the opinion of the loudest people in the community.” It’s not about who happens to speak up; it’s important that everyone who has an opinion feels encouraged to share it so all viewpoints can be heard. That was the whole reason I started this conversation. SportsGamer should make some decisions or conduct a poll as soon as possible so people have time to adjust.

Good idea, but I see a problem with having a single password: Pro and Elite teams probably don’t play against Neo/Core/Lite teams. Of course all the teams who just want to test how it feels to play without abilites could you use a password like ECLTest or something like that.

Agree 100%. Whatever the decision is, it would be fair for everyone to have time to adapt if there are going to be major changes not just one or two weeks before the new season. So the sooner the better.

To continue the conversation from the old thread... Now that the season is almost over for everyone, I would like to start a discussion about the upcoming tournaments and the ability bans. After playing the game more, I have to admit that I’ve started to doubt the “ban them all” approach. Why do I think we need abilities? I feel that the whole game has developed around the abilities, and I have a feeling that it will turn into a lot of turtle defense vs. turtle defense if all the abilities are banned. It could also force players to use builds that they normally wouldn't want to use. I propose banning all the Elite abilities. The currently allowed gold and blue abilities are pretty well-balanced. You could also keep the currently allowed gold abilities only if the community prefers that. Another interesting option would be allowing only one (gold or blue) ability per player. Please share your opinions. Does anyone else have doubts about the “ban them all” approach like I do?

If you have to make this change in the middle of the season why wont you ban all elite abilities then to make it fair? There is absolutely no point just banning certain abilities. Elite stick em up is also a pay to win perk? Elite backhand is very broken. Elite sponge the same. You can make a glitch goal with elite backhand shooting from the boards. Goalie goes to some weird animation.. So while your at it. Ban all the elite perks from skaters and goalies!

Guys, hate to say it but you’re wasting your time. There’s no way they’re banning anything this close to the start of the season. Go touch some grass or something else before the ECL starts.

Honestly, the more I’ve played the game, the more I’m leaning toward “ban them all.” For skaters and goalies.

Okay… so whose great idea was it to ban almost everything for skaters but nothing for goalies? I’ve only played the game for one night, and I’ve already seen countless desperation saves from goalies whose positioning was clearly off. It feels like they just stand in the middle and still manage to stop most one-timers, even when half the net is wide open. Maybe I haven’t played enough yet, but this has happened in every game so far. Also, Elite Stick ‘Em Up seems a bit questionable… and you even get a speed boost from Send It (Receiver). Before any goalie or defender starts whining I’m only sharing my personal opinions here. I just think the banned abilities should be equal for everyone, also Goalies. It feels really unfair that goalie traits are completely untouched at the moment, and I’d love to hear an explanation why? At the very least, ban all the elite abilities. In their current state, these abilities are ruining any sense of “competitive” gameplay and make the game feel more arcade-like with all the speed boosts and other nonsense. It’s like Super Mario grabbing a star suddenly you’re immortal and super fast :D.

Thank you Sportsgamer for the update, as promised. Excellent post by @Grizzly17 Most of the questions were addressed, but on the other hand, many still remain unanswered. It’s great news that you’re working to fix the debts. You’re also asking the community your paying “customers” to have patience and understanding, which is fair enough. However, as a community, we also expect more concrete answers in return. What I’m asking for is that Sportsgamer be as open and honest as possible about the situation. If you want the community’s help, then please give us more concrete answers: Where did the prize pool money from the winter and spring events ultimately go, if there wasn’t enough left to pay the players and teams? Why did it take so long for Sportsgamer to acknowledge these problems, given that they’ve clearly been ongoing for some time? Would Sportsgamer have publicly admitted to this difficult situation if the community hadn’t started asking these questions? Will Sportsgamer take responsibility for paying the debts owed to @iRSPe's company? This is a great start but it’s not enough! Do not underestimate the community; we’re not stupid.

First off, could you please use paragraphs? It’s honestly painful to read sometimes. Anyway, to the point... I’m probably not gonna play anywhere, so I’ve got nothing to say about other leagues. For me, it’s not about the money it’s about principle. Even if I do play, I’m more than happy to pay someone for their hard work. But first, all these problems need to be sorted out. Otherwise, we’ll be in the exact same situation a year from now. And really are you willing to pay more when you know they owe money to teams and companies, like in Irspe’s case? Personally, I’m not going to.

How exactly would you fund this as it seems there is no money at all? I think there are a lot of things to sort out before even thinking of a new season. I don't mean to be rude but you have to be an absolute idiot to give more money before all this s**t is sorted out. First step is to pay the old debts and secondly stick to the promised deadlines. I really don't know the reason behind the lack of information but I think the longer we have to wait for more info on the finance or the new season the more it will harm Sportsgamer and the trust. Now everybody is making their own conclusions of what's going on and this is not a good thing at all.

Yeah, I truly hope we get more information soon about where the money has gone and why there’s been such a delay with the payments. It’s concerning that the teams still haven’t been paid. No one should be expected to make any further payments until all debts are settled.

I’m not sure if you read my whole post, but I was talking about waiting a day or two so we hopefully have more facts.

Yeah, same here. They’ve been offering the option to either receive money or pay the participation fee with the money.

Geez… people here have less patience than my 3-year-old daughter (and hers is absolutely sh**e). Looks like some of you just want drama. People shouldn’t judge before knowing the facts! Sportsgamer promised to give more info in a couple of days, so by tomorrow (Friday) at the latest (?). Why can’t you just wait a bit and then judge when you have the facts? I understand the appropriate questions because people want answers. I’ve known Kenu since before most of you were even born. If there’s one person in the world who would never steal your money or scam you in any way, it’s Kenu. People seem to forget pretty fast. Remember that Kenu has done this for years and years for free. Because it is his passion. At least we owe him the chance to explain everything. From my point of view, maybe not all the wisest decisions have been made but the community should also take a look in the mirror. The community demanded prize pools under the threat of leaving Sportsgamer (a few years ago), and… here we are. Sportsgamer was NOT ready for this. One thing I know is that it's not easy to get a sponsor for this game. Also, to the people here advertising other leagues: there’s a saying “the grass isn’t always greener on the other side”. It takes a lot of work to manage a league and deal with all its problems. You need to be extremely passionate about it to do it all for free. …And before people start saying I’m taking sides, that’s not true. Do I agree that people should receive their money asap and that the payments have taken unacceptably long? Yes. Do I think some risky decisions were made? Yes. Do I think Sportsgamer shouldn’t ask for more money before the old debts are paid? Yes. I don't know why the payments haven't been made in 90 days as promised, but all I’m asking for is a little bit of patience - let them publish the info before judging. I know for a fact that many players, including Elite players, have opinions or suggestions or are blaming SportsGamer. Why are they not opening their mouths now when it's time to speak? That’s because the community is so toxic and they are afraid of being bullied or slaughtered. So they criticize SportsGamer in private. Man up and open your mouth if you have something to say!

Thank you for your openness and honesty, but I have many questions running through my mind. Who are these shareholders? The company’s board includes the same people who can be found online linked to several other companies, such as Sportsgamer, Pureevents, Street Games, etc. Why haven’t the “owners” paid salaries or agreed compensations to the employees? Why should we, as a community, pay the debts of very questionable owners? I would really appreciate an honest explanation of this situation. Right now, everything looks very suspicious. I’m sorry for being so blunt. I truly appreciate you, Kenu, and I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for the community, but sometimes we just have to face the facts. I don’t know whose responsibility this is, but I strongly recommend fixing the financial situation before asking the community for more money or alternatively, turning the whole ECL into a free service with a small participation fee, like €5 per person. No prize money should be awarded until the finances are clearly in order. At the moment, it feels like you’re asking the community to pay off a debt that has accumulated over the years, and that’s simply not right. I’m not blaming anyone personally, but the whole ownership situation seems very shady right now.