[NHL 23 Technical Test - Let us know what you think!]

I played some 3vs3 drop-ins and club 6's, skater and goalie. Around 10 games. PS5.

- Not so much difference in controlling/skating. Free skating (loadout testing) was identical to NHL22.
- Pokecheck nerf is good, but maybe the slowdown effect was a bit much. Also the bumping effect was really weak and now when attacking player can react (pass/shoot) after tackle, there aren't many old defending tools left. Tackling was hard, hit needs to be direct to a player to result puck loose. Pacy attackers have advantage sprinting around defenders.   
- AI GK was really good at saving one-timers but really bad at breakaways. Otherwise pretty close to what it is in NHL22 (direct shots, rebounds, animations etc.). AI player was the same old, except pointing the stick to every free players direction . 
- Games felt smoother because of PS5. I'm glad the next ECL will be played with new-gen.
- Passing was easier and cutting passing lanes harder. Don't know if I like this (flashbacks from NHL21 horror). 
- Human goalie was pretty bad. This could be the beta-tuner, but basically every decent direct shot went in, despite the positioning or loadout. Moving with goalie was smoother but this could be just the PS5. 
- I had some fps drops especially in drop-in cut scenes. Also saw some new graphics which told highest scorer of the club etc, it was pretty cool.
- Nothing new in the menus? Hope there is at least something new?? 
- Same puck-reflection glitches occurred during the matches as in NHL22. Clearly they haven't touched the game-engine this year, except tuning the pokes, tackles, passing and shot speeds etc. 
- Overall, when the loadout-meta has been found again, I believe It will be pretty similar experience compared to NHL22. 

[Player Spotlight: Thomas "newman_29" Neumann]

Bring in alpha admin @jahajaha93 himself to the spotlight!

[ECL '22 Winter Lite: Prima eSport have found another level]

Tilasto Timppa (Timotei_97) absolutely unstoppable 🔥. Records will be broken.

[ECL '22: Winter Lite Guide- Former Core teams to challenge for the title at the Lite level?]

Forza Bellizzi! 🍻

[NHL 22 Technical Test - We want your feedback!]

So here is a review of the technical test from a very average and casual player of the game. I wish there were more comments in this article from different kinds of players because I like to read them very much.   

I was able to try out both versions (PS4 & PS5) of the technical test. I tested pretty much everything from Pro-AM to 6vs6 club games. I have to say that imo the difference between these two versions isn’t that massive. PS5 does everything a bit better and smoother but gameplay seems to be the same, even the bugs are pretty similar in both consoles. Some FPS drops seem to happen quite often with PS4 (4K Monitor). I don’t think it will be a problem to play next tournaments on the PS4 version. 

I already sent my (long)list of bugs that I faced during the week with both consoles to EA so I will comment on the game in general here.

Frostbite game engine didn’t bring massive upgrades to visuals or mechanics in technical test. Everyone who played NHL21 can see and feel the similarity of the basic mechanics and animations compared to NHL21. I have to be honest, I was a bit disappointed with this, but I can live with it. Especially AI seems to be the same old, at least for now. WoC Interface is better/faster now and especially the main menu looks really good imo.

Pros:

Stick physics in general are my favourites. Although I think poke checking should be fully manual using R1+right stick. clicking R1 will always aim automatically towards the puck (same old).  

Cutting the passing lanes makes some sense now. Players are rewarded for positioning correctly between the passing lanes. Puck won’t anymore randomly go through three players. This is horrible in NHL21.

Passing feels more manual now. Passing power makes sense. You can’t just fully load a pass and smash it to your buddy’s blade standing 0,5 meters away from you. Receiving player won’t most likely receive it even if he/she had the right perks for it. If you want to serve your teammate a onetimer, you have to adjust the passing power to the distance, like irl. Passing power and direction is really automatic in NHL21. 

Shot blocking is rewarding. The new L1 kneeling animation is way better than before and ‘’the carbet’’ animation (R1+L1) feels less edgy now. 

Puck bounces are a bit closer to the laws of physics which is good. Also goalkeepers can’t glue every 180km/h shot and the puck will be bouncing more in front of the net.  

Loadouts are really fun to edit and test out. Game tempo is slower so even the bulkier players can keep up. I saw our community’s top players favouring a certain sniper/playmaker/puck moving d build (185cm 88kg) already, but I hope the variety will be large and people aren’t forced to use the same builds anymore to be competitive.

Goalie interference penalty is a good addition. However, not sure how well it works and if goalkeepers will be able to use this to ‘’fishing’’ penalties.  

Cons:

There are already too many bondage-centers existing that are tying up every goddamn faceoff and it will be even worse if they let people take away faceoff ability points to boost their deeking. Please remove faceoffs from editable abilities or give some new tools to centers to work with.  

Puck pickups have some new animations and as said above pass power and direction affects if the player will catch it or not. Most of them are OK, but sometimes it felt that players were missing easy passes so this might need a little boost.

Smaller/weaker builds can still ‘’pump’’ stronger/bigger builds out of balance and steal the puck which needs some tuning. However I don’t like pumping in general so it should be changed in some way. Pumping was actually even worse in the PS4 version.

People were taking penalties but no-one knows why because there are no replays? 

Nothing new for the goalie-players? Five hole looked really vulnerable in loose pucks and crashing the net with the puck. AI goalie had serious problems coverin the near posts.

I hope the server selection will become available in public games as well so the northern and southern part of the European community will become more connected. Especially now when the game is split in different consoles.  

Where the heck is the spectator mode?

I bet the commentary voice in the WoC menu gets pretty annoying after a couple of days so I hope there will be an option to mute it. 

Sometimes it’s really hard to see where the puck is when it's crowded, but not sure if this is actually made on purpose. 
 

I think especially defenders will like this version of the game. I really enjoyed the technical test and it feels bad to return for FCL games in NHL21. In general the NHL22 technical test felt less arcade than NHL21 and I’m pretty sure I could enjoy it way more than NHL21. Rating solid 7/10. Let's see what the future holds. Sorry for the long post.

[ECL 12 Lite: Season Preview]

There are so many great teams and players in Lite this season, it would take a month to write a story covering all the gems in the division . I'm certain everyone who shines (or not) on ice will have their spotlight in these articles during the season 😊. Keep up the good work @JakePlay77.

[New division and promotion structure [UPDATED 17/03/21]]

@Keuschemisch I understand your frustration as i'm also playing for Pro team that is prob heading to qualification series instead of securing the spot for next season. Timing could have been better. However the community keeps growing, new teams popping up year after year, and the pressure building up to lower divisions is forcing to make changes. Transition will always hurt some teams and players, but it's necessary for greater good and continuum of ECL.

These changes will add more value and competition to Lite division as the third division of ECL which is imo pretty cool, in historic point of view as well. I also think that gap between Elite and Pro is getting bigger season after season. Pro qualification series will make sure that every team in the Pro division is motivated and operating at the right level to bring more competition to Pro division and hopefully reduce the gap to Elite. I think this is something that top Pro teams and players have been hoping. 

I think guys made good job thinking this through. This structure will bring more balance to league at this point. No-one enjoys loosing 20-30 games in a season and see teams giving up because of it. I agree with @iSwamp that community needs to work with new ideas for the future but at this point of the timeline Core and qualifications are welcomed changes.  

''Less cabinet, more qualification.''

p.s. I had no part in this process. Just my own opinions of it. Happy New Year everyone!

 

[FILADELPHIA is now Linköping HC]

Honestly I thought eSHL was going to be long term national league that would help Swedish NHL community to grow and bring more Swedish teams to other tournaments aswell, maybe to ’’chase the dream to play in your favourite club someday’’… Well I quess it’s still possible, most likely not in Linköping so soon tho :D.

The nature of true eSports is to get the best players to make maximum money for the organization (business). Like Manchester City eSports getting every Chinese magic finger they can find. But it’s pretty clear money involved in this isn’t so much that it can be the reason.

Hockey is one of the traditional sports that is loosing viewers to eSports. This ofc is a great way for SHL to market their teams and league to new audience. Linköping has chosen to do it through success. I’ve seen some eSHL teams recruiting players through tryouts which is nice and different. Maybe some local heroes will take them to success (romance). Hope the league will be well balanced and long lasting. 

Anyway, it’s forward for the community. Let’s see how it developes.

[NHLGamer and Ilta-Sanomat Present: IS Cup 4!]

Why there is a week without action between group stage and playoffs? 🤔

[NHL 20 Beta - We want your feedback!]

EASHL 6vs6

Boost goalies. Especially near post wtf? Tho I like that some of the direct shots go in now. 

-For some reason dressing room wont update in real time. You have to hit unready->ready to refresh and see that everyones is rdy or editing build etc. 

-Sometimes when editing build/opening bags in the dressing room and returning back to the room, you see only blank boxes and cant leave room or push ready. This is fixed when the room leader leaves the dressingroom. 

-when the intermission is on, there's something wrong with the audience voice settings. Its like 20 mental patients are shouting. 

- there should be an option to skip "play of the period" highlight. (long x push for example) 

- why is the scoreboard flashing when the powerplay is on or penalty coming 🙄. Maybe give option to make it stable. 

Theres lots of positive things. I like that the gamespeed feels faster now, play is more direct like in real nhl hockey and passes are better when u get to used to it. Shooting animations are working well and you cant pump speed with L2. Only thing im really worried about is the goalies. Otherwise it's fun to play. Hope they won't change it too much 😊. 

[ECL 8 Elite Finals: Preview]

I've heard a rumour there might be free pizza, so yeah i'll come.

[League Administration Rulings]

Maybe NHLGamer should name a board, like a court where people can appeal against LA's decisions. Board would investigate the case again and it could have enough power for example to give a permit of exception of the existing rules so LA's can follow the rulebook precisely. The final decision would be made with a vote and the results of it would be public. Members of this court should be super neutral and have some knowledge of the past LA decisions so it's going to be hard to find them, maybe hire some lawyers 🤭.

Dunno, sounds maybe too much of work but imo it works pretty well in real life. Just in case if things gets worse. Not really sure if there's a need for this but it came to my mind while taking a dump.

Peace

[NHL 19 Tuner Rollback (Limited duration)]

Is it really true that the skating didn't change after tuners? I remember bigger builds were able to move really quickly and spin around like figure skaters 🙄. Maybe I just got used to it.

[NHLGamer, Dr. Oetker and Elisa kicking off unparalleled 6vs6 experience with ECL 8]

Good business by every party. Perfect target audience for convenience food. Next in line are alcohol companies. Good job everyone involved. I'm waiting your move Atria and Saarioinen.

[ECL 8 Lite: Season Preview]

Good stuff, nice new division logos aswell 😛 . Good luck to all the teams in Lite, except in games against us . I would say EV Füssen eSports and the Commandos of Perttilä will be the favorites to win. Reaperr and The Bears of Savo will surprise everyone by winning their division and going far in the playoffs. The Everblades will be a huge disappointment when they loose El Clasico to the Skate of Kaukonen in the first playoff round. Ankkalasvegas will be on the top of the player stats. T4juk4ng4as of KaLu will make the new record in penalty minutes this season, can't wait.

[LA Ruling on the recent events]

1 tunti sitten, xLVxRitchey kirjoitti:

What a joke! Then LA need Ban everyone who is typing in chatbox  ''dont play with that club because they dont quit after lose 1 player''

I don't know man, you've signed up which means you have accepted the community rules. I really don't think your example is near this case but I see your point. Admins/leaders have to make tough decision in every community and this one has been explained very well imo. Maybe you noticed something that is against the rules? I still think it's important to let the people have their own opinions and the rules allow it, just respect your fellow nhlgamers.     

[ECL 7 Elite Playoffs: Round 1 (Info + Preview)]

Nice writing again, thanks! And good luck for elite teams in the playoffs.

[ECL Elite 16 in 16: Written In The Stars]

Thanks for the good work interviewers. These were fun to read and it's interesting to see, how the table really settles after couple of games

[NHL 19 Beta - We want your feedback!]

16 minuuttia sitten, Kenu kirjoitti:

Hey @Oopee91, just double checking, when in a glide backwards, the energy bar isn't filling up?

That was the case at the beginning. Don't know if they fixed it in hotfix before beta ended.

[NHL 19 Beta - We want your feedback!]

I'm probably going to play every mode this game has, but prefer club 6vs6 and hut/versus. I hope this has some effect because I used too much of my freetime to answer :D.    

1. NHL Ones
- Favors big hitting players too much. Even though It's not a problem if you always pick a big guy :P. Maybe nerf tackling in this gamemode or give more balance to everyone.I was also thinking about the possibility of raising the rink's walls so you can bind to the wall and avoid check from behind?    

2. NHL THREES Drop-In (Arcade Threes)
- I think it's ok because its arcade. Won't play it tho cos I don't like it.

3. EASHL Drop-Ins (Please specify if it is in 3s/6s/both)
- 6vs6: I find it really hard to recognize who's in my team because of the custom clothing. Especially when player leaves and AI players has not sign on his head. All of the home clothing should be dark as possible and away white as possible. Ban grey plz.   
- 3vs3: Clothing is ok because of less players. Even though It should always be easy to recognize your own teammates.
- Both: Fix the connecting problems (also in club games)  
    
4. EASHL Club 3s
- It's fun as it was in NHL 18

5  EASHL Club 6s
- Nerfing pokecheck and boosting skating has made better players even better. I like it (tho im not that good myself so won't benefit me hehehehe :'[ ). The scale between bad and good teams is going to be even larger, but it forces everyone to focus on teamplay in both directions which is good. Just like in real hockey.  
- Why is there timelimits in the menu after the match? Where is the summary of the players like takeaways/giveaways, shot% etc.?
- There should be challenge club room (of course?)
- No input lag is a big +, I hope it stays that way in the full version aswell.
- I would love to see who carries C and A in the teams. 
- There should be possibilty to change your team shirt away/home/third to avoid same colours as your opponent.
    
6. AI skaters in World of Chel (specify mode + how many AI)
- AI defenders always have problems when the puck is behind the own goal and they decide to take it up. They skate near the post and puck goes under the keeper, sometimes it bounces inside the goal. This was the problem in NHL 18 aswell.
- Sometimes AI won't pass in beta. I understand this when the line isn't open and pass would be a suicide, but this happens in clear lines aswell. This worked fine in the NHL 18.  

7. AI goalies in World of Chel (specify mode)
- Boost Ones keeper a bit. Not too much. Their should be able to catch the pucks when the shot are taken from far (sometimes from backwall).  
    
8. AI goalies in EASHL (specify if in 3s/6s)
- I like that AI keeper takes sweet saves from onetimers sometimes now. Imo AI keeper has always been good enough. Some of the glitch goals that are still working are annoying but I believe its really hard to erase them without making goalies too good?
    
9. Customization: Player Classes + Traits/Specializations   
- Traits are cool, not too overpowered and same for everyone. Don't make them like perks in Call of Duty, because it ruined the whole franchise.
    
10. Customization: Gear (Casual + Pro gear + Gear Bags)
- Wish the head customization would be like in Fifa. Would be cool to have option to choose the stiffnes of your stick and the curve of your blade that would affect your stats a bit. I think this was in some older version?    
- Otherwise I think its OK

11. Other World of Chel related feedback
- Please make a practise mode where you can go play alone, with AI or your EASHL teammates.
    
12.13.and14. Online Vs.
- No huge changes needed. Just try to fix the known glitches.
    
15. Skating
- Very good. As I said earlier, good players will dominate with their skills. Defenders need to focus on cutting skating and passing lanes. Somehow the energy isn't gathering when sliding backwards?  
- Imo enforcers should have worse skating ratings, because most of the real life enforcers can't even get to the NHL because they're so useless.
    
16. Hitting (Collision Physics)
- It has some assistance now, but you can still avoid it. I think it's wise to tackle now because you can collapse opponents energy levels which can give your team benefits. In the NHL 18 it just felt good to hit someone.     
- Sometimes when you hit a player, he flies to his teammate and hit him. It's an interference penalty to original tackler. Shouldn't be? Right?

17. Pokechecking
- I love the end of the pokechecking era. Please don't buff it, let it be like it is. But tune down its change to trip the player, most of the pokes should just miss everything. Poke from behind or straight to the legs from odd angle should always be a penalty.
    
18. Offensive Play (i.e. how did it feel to play defense? How easy was it? Was there a skill gap? Were there limitations?)
- It's easier to attack. Penalties that the pokecheck is giving is making the defending team to play more passive.

19. Defensive Play (i.e. how did it feel to play defense? How easy was it? Was there a skill gap? Were there limitations?)
- It's harder to defend. But with the right positioning it's easy to cut passing lanes and block shots.
    
20. Other (anything not covered here)
- I wish the deekes you added to NHL 18 could be made in the EASHL aswell. Imo every spec should have the ability to make deekes. In beta I realised you can't make datsyuk deek in penalty shot because its ''illegal'' according to referees. I played as a playmaker. Most of the deeks fail because of the poor deeking ability? Not cool, because I believe even John Scott can make between the legs deek if he wants.
- Why is the old timer animation so fast? I also hate the glitch behind the goal where you fakeshot and make oldtimer right after. It makes the oldtimer animation to go double speed and looks fake as hell. Edgy human goalie doens't have the speed to react even if he understand its going to happen.  
    
21. Human Goalies in EASHL
- I haven't played goalie, but It's clear to see that they're still too edgy to handle and move slowly from post to post. Especially in the penalty shot or breakaway it's like taking a penalty in FIFA. If the game is heading to be legit eSports this is definitely something to be focused on.

Peace.