Janikka

I haven't had this happen in a while for some reason.

Isn't that game really buggy and slow on the Xbox? I play it every now and then on the PC where it works quite well these days.

Do you even gamesman80? Chavelski's group play fast coast-to-coast hockey (Havaiji-kiekko) compared to the man with the most patience for puck possession and delayed breakouts (viivelähdöt).

I have my pass assistance and auto back skate settings sometimes automatically change to 70-something and off, respectively. I'm sure a lot of you have encountered this same issue. Does anyone know why this happens and how to counter it? It gets kind of annoying when you don't always remember to make sure the settings are right before you go play, and then you're perplexed for a while as you're missing your passes and your L2 doesn't behave as you expect until you realize the settings must have changed on their own again. Maybe this has something to do with playing the game on more than one account? I've made a poll to see if this theory holds up!

Welcome back! When you left, Kenu was in charge of the Finnish competitive EASHL community. Now that you're back, Kenu's dominion has expanded all over Europe!

What if a dual citizen has Finnish citizenship but doesn't know the language and has never even lived here, is citizenship still advantageous to the team somehow?

I've actually toyed with this idea in my mind before. While the grind had some appeal to many casual players, I would imagine that it was a necessary chore to most players participating in competitive leagues such as the EHL. On the other hand, I feel like EA didn't fully succeed in making the attribute customization actually matter. I mean, we all ended up maximizing and minimizing pretty much the same attributes based on what was more useful in 6 on 6.

This is related to the other player builds thread that I resurrected, but I chose to start a new thread because this isn't really about which player build to pick. Be warned that this is a long post with some conflicting ideas and a stream of consciousness. I tried to formulate it somewhat logically but it may get confusing or contradictory. I was thinking further about how we yearn for more variation in builds actually used by players. Player builds come with preset attributes these days. It used to be you'd build your own player, deciding what you needed and didn't need so much. People found what worked best, and we ended up mostly playing with very similar builds. It wasn't so different from now in that regard. The most notable differences came from selecting player size and customizing the skates and sticks. The two-way forward was once the go-to player type as you could maximize the attributes that were the most useful for EASHL. They had an attribute for fighting, for instance. There was really no reason to trade points from anything useful for that. On the other hand, certain attributes that sounded useful didn't seem to have much of an impact on the ice. Beyond the actual customization, there was the grind of acquiring more attribute points to spend, all the way into "Legend 3" where you had the highest amount available. I don't miss the customization, and I don't miss the grind. Some feel the former provided more variation in team compositions and the latter a rewarding sense of purpose. From my perspective, the builds used were often hardly distinguishable and the grind was a pointless necessity. So preset builds were a great move in my mind. They didn't quite turn out the way I expected, though. EA had the publicly stated idea that these different builds would translate into varying roles on the ice better than the old customization. You know, just like in real hockey where each player is employed in a certain way. Think a line with the classic grinder-playmaker-sniper composition, or an enforcer whose job it is to protect the more skilled players from scary actions like dirty hits or a punch in the face. Real hockey goons are nearly extinct now, but you get the idea. Even before preset builds they tried to direct people into role play with features such as "intimidation" where a player on the receiving end of several crushing hits would get scared of his own shadow and have his attributes nerfed. It was a beautiful vision. However, to me it's unnecessary. I like to see variation in roles, sure. But are different builds even required for that? I think not. I think the better route to such variation is a natural one. Consider Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. There's a game I've played a lot to minimal success. In competitive CS, everyone is equal as far as their in-game character yet organized teams have very distinct roles out there. You have the sniper, the entry fragger, the creeper, etc. Granted, some of the variation comes from buying different gear. I would contend that we already have this sort of thing in EASHL and especially the ECL. It's just typically not as organized as with professional teams in certain other games. Even if everyone picks the power forward because it's perhaps the strongest build overall, the player roles will not be identical. I'm not just talking positions here, though that's certainly an aspect that emphasizes the varying roles between players. Centers will naturally gravitate toward their idea of what a real hockey center does, and the same applies to all the other positions. Beyond that, though, think of the team you currently play for. On the surface we see six players adhering loosely to roles dictated by their chosen positions. Examining their play closer, though, more details in distinct player roles emerge. It's typical to have a go-to player for a specific action. If you need to carry the puck through the opponent's defensive trap and into the offensive zone, a team may have a specialist for that. No words or even conscious agreement is required here. You'll just have one or two guys doing that specific thing far more than anyone else on your team. In the long run, it becomes part of that player's role on the ice game in and game out. Or, just to draw an example off the top of my head, NOS has one defender who's rather fond of dumping the puck in. The team accepts this as part of that player's role on the ice. We aren't getting through the trap right now, but I'm glad we have our designated carrying-the-puck-into-the-zone guy, or our designated dump-in guy, or what have you. Another obvious example would be defensive pairings where one is the more offensive defender and the other stays further back to compensate. That's one of those things where we instinctively emulate real hockey, of course. I picked CS:GO as a parallel earlier. It was a convenient choice for me to make my point. What about a game like Dota, though? Could you imagine that with identical builds? And unlike CS, many multiplayer FPS games are designed around varying character abilities. R6: Siege and Overwatch, for example. I can see that a very convincing argument could be made for different player builds in EA Sports NHL. And it doesn't need to be an either or, between distinct builds or naturally formed roles. Why not have builds emphasize the differences between players and their roles that already exist? The way to achieve this seems obvious: balance the preset builds better. Have the sacrifices for getting specific strengths truly matter. Make the trade-offs count so that you really need to rely on others to compensate for the innate shortcomings of your build. I mean, if that's truly what we want. One might also want to have the absolute best players not be limited by their builds in any way so they can stand out above the rest and do all the things they're good at to the best of their ability, not just the things where their build allows them to excel. But then again, you could argue that clearly specialized builds may actually highlight the skill between players better compared to a more uniform template. Carving out a niche for oneself and truly excelling at it would become a more viable way to the top as those niches would be in high demand from teams looking to fulfill specific needs.

Good points. I have to say I'm liking grinder at the moment. It has good speed and endurance with surprisingly good checking ability for its size. The offense is limited, of course, but I don't really feel hampered by that like I thought I would.

I guess the power forward thing still applies in most players' opinion? That's still the most popular choice of build by far. (Apologies if resurrecting such old threads is frowned upon here. I didn't want to start a new thread.)

Monte Carlo are pleased to welcome the latest addition to the team: Veskku of Tiki Talk fame! He plays RD. Also, it has come to my attention that filip15900 never actually said he would join the team so contrary to what was originally stated in the opening post, he's not a member of Monte Carlo at this time. My bad!

”Come with me,” said a voice in the darkness I once dwelt. ”I will lead the way.” The road ahead was unknown, but I had to trust the vision of my guide. I’d been blind, after all, and I finally had eyes to see though they were not my own. ”Where are we going?” I inquired in rising anticipation. ”You will see.” A slight glimmer appeared in the distance. ”Do you see it?” asked the voice now booming with assuring authority. ”That’s the destination. That’s what you’ve sought as you’ve been stumbling in the dark.” Like a mirage, features of what had been but a promise in the void were taking form as we drew nearer. Imposing structures touching the clouds, draped in a cascade of neon lights flickering in invitation for a new beginning. At the tall gates of Monte Carlo, the familiar visage of my guide became apparent. ”We’ve arrived. We will find others, and we will bring them here too.” Current roster ktewjh/Lagezickarno - johtaja699 - KenuFHR/Lagezickarno Lagezickarno/? - Veskku/Lagezickarno Pettersson12/Lagezickarno We are looking to sign more players in the near future as Johtaja makes his legendary ”MOTTIPÄINEN TARJOUS” offers to promising candidates. The vow of Monte Carlo The leadership of Johtaja shall be unquestioned and absolute. My belief in Johtaja is never to falter, and I am grateful for the privilege in following his vision. Through wins and through losses my beacon remains: playing for Johtaja is the greatest victory of all.

The transition is really easy to make, Tanski. What you do is you just tell everyone that you're a forward now and you're not going back on defense, so everyone else just needs to adjust.

I actually did try goalie. I just prefer not to talk about it anymore. You see, my budding goalie career was stifled by NOS in a game where I allowed 12 goals. That game was the Vietnam to my Lyndon B. Johnson, marring my time as goalie forever.

I've been playing forward for a while now. Playing RD was pretty tough at times but I've come to notice that LW/RW is really difficult in this game if you're not already good! I got off to a really nice start but that was the sort of honeymoon phase that I'm sure we're all familiar with in one form or another. Since then I've encountered the harsh reality where I struggle against a team that knows how to defend. I've tried to learn from watching the better forwards play. These Pleemakers and Adetikkis and Joukkis and Penatskis and Patzlafs and Lamsas (shout out to the hidden gem!) make it look so easy. Whenever I try to draw inspiration from that and pick up the controller again, I'm just reminded that those guys have played the forward positions a lot and that it's in those guys' DNA to do well. I even spent a while in practice trying to teach myself some sweet "jonne" hands. The end result of that is I can do a few pointless dekes that I'll sometimes spam without any good reason. It kind of resembles a cheap slapstick comedy act that gets booed off stage rather than calculated challenging of the defense. Another thing I'm trying to get better at is protecting the puck when the passing lanes are all taken away. The window for making a decision is often too narrow for my brain. It's really challenging for me to try and create space for my teammates or myself out there. I came from having played nothing but RD since NHL 11. I'll keep at this forward thing despite the frequent frustrations that I know I'll continue to have. I have to hope there's light at the end of the tunnel and that it's not just an enforcer defenseman about to crush my hopes and dreams of ever being a decent forward. It's certainly been humbling so far and I have some newfound respect for all you good forwards out there. I used to think you have it easier than defenders do, not having people track your team's goals allowed back to your own mistakes on the ice and just getting to basically relax and have a good time realizing your offensive vision. Actually, you're at constant pressure to get something done, to create chances and win the game for your team amid a tight defensive trap and minimal space to do your thing in the offensive zone. Anyway, it's nice to see the game I've been playing for so long and so much from this new perspective!

I don't mean to be rude but isn't lag a concern at all? The rest of the community is in Europe.

This is a monumental decision. In one of those "damned if they do, damned if they don't" situations for the admins, I think they came through for the good of the community in the long run. Teams and individual players need to plan their schedule around these games more if they are to participate. Some of them will never do that if they can fall back on extending deadlines whenever it's convenient for them. Consider any organized tournament of note in any other game. You can't take a rain check on your participation if you've already signed up. Either you get in the games when they start, or you get out. The default leeway for scheduling in the ECL is generous enough. If you can't work with that it's time to look in the mirror. And really, it does come down to planning ahead. There are people playing these leagues with plenty of obligations between work and family who still have a clean record in adhering to deadlines. With several days for rescheduling around the preset time, the fact that it can be done is proven by many over each of these long seasons. Sure, a team may encounter obstacles they had no possible way of planning for despite the backup players and the time given for rescheduling. That is highly unlikely but certainly possible. Even then, the rules need to be a constant which all teams can rely on, and walkover wins against a team with such exceptionally bad luck are offset by the vast majority of these cases in which the team could've done something differently. SKY are obviously one of the consistently best teams in the ECL. Their performance in the first round against DYN was possibly the most dominant between two top teams that I've seen, and they more than deserved to continue fighting for a place in the finals. No one in their right mind wants to see the semifinals decided this way. However, the league schedule needs to mean something. It needs to be worked with and not against. Ultimately, that is the clearest and fairest way for everyone involved, and that is why this needed to happen. League Admins, I applaud you.

On a serious note, does anyone here actually like the enforcer defenseman? I like its reach and physicality, but intercepting passes feels more haphazard compared to the DD and 2WD builds. Also, you have to be very careful with hustling. I find that the enforcer gets hampered by fatigue more than the other builds somehow. Slap shots are probably more powerful than with any other build so if you enjoy hammering shots against the end boards, the enforcer defenseman should be right up your alley.

New club Monte Carlo looking for a winger and both defensemen. Johtaja is C and I am RW/LW. We probably have a G already. We intend to compete at a decent level eventually. We will participate in ECL 6. What we want from our players: believe in and follow team captain Johtaja's vision. Message me or Johtaja (johtaja699 on PSN or j0htaja here at NHLGamer.com). EDIT: We have found a winger! He will be joining Monte Carlo and announced to the media as we finish the paperwork. Johtaja and I are very excited to welcome this player whose career we have had the privilege of following for a very long time. This signing adds invaluable experience, leadership (which, combined with Johtaja, we should now have in abundance) and prime playmaking ability to the ranks of Monte Carlo.

You know, there's an idea for another series, the best non-white players in the scene.

A highly respectable season by you guys amid the toughest competition in the ECL. While Aapon Taikasauva ended up powering through to the next round, you fought tooth and nail against a team that's up there among the best. You were supposed to be an underdog, but the way you challenged all of these teams this season points to something beyond that. In the end, you are no underdog. You are one of the elite. Thanks for the show and have fun in ECL 6!

PAJEN!!! SOUND THE HORN

That guy is a virtual hockey legend! He was once so dominating on the Xbox 360 that most people considered him the best player in the Xbox EHL scene. Maybe current-gen EASHL doesn't lend itself to such individual superiority, maybe the influx of young ECL stars has overshadowed floorbandy king, or maybe he just isn't the player he used to be? Or maybe I have it wrong and he's as good as ever, if not better. It's just that he's not been nearly as prominent as he was back in the day. One thing is for sure: he was the king of Xbox EHL with a consistently superior level of play, and there's no possible way all that skill might have disappeared. Maybe it all comes down to the changed role you point to in this article. Whatever the case may be, whatever the reason he is now a hidden gem, as a former Xbox 360 player myself it's great to see floorbandy king still going and playing for the highest distinction in the ECL.

The Caps Lock 4, brilliant!

Hmm. It's almost starting to make sense, but questions remain. For example, what happens if I schedule some games here in Finland but then go to Sweden to play them? What if I'm in Finland but decide to identify more with the time zone in a place like the United States, which is this big place with multiple time zones whose times are way behind ours? And how can I ever be sure my clocks are accurate, will I need to sync up with opponents using some neutral clock that we all agree on?