The ai advantages...

[18 eighty 5]

Ok, I have been playing this game since I got the demo and the retail version at launch. It is hard to find offline competition where the cpu isn't getting maddening advantages that hurt the fun of playing.

The real killers are loose pucks and pass/clearance interceptions and brutal cpu play that gets no consequences for roughness. Seriously, how are they able to check from behind so savagely that my guy gets hurled to the ice? The same check gets penalised if I try it, but, often I can't catch the cpu to lay the hit.

On All Star, the puck is almost never really free and loose, it nearly always belongs to the cpu. Deflections mid ice off a stick always go to the cpu. This is exacerbated by the total passivity by my team mates to go for pucks or even just play with intensity. I have caught my guys parked along the boards facing away from the action like its break time at practice. This is silly.

It seems context sensitive when sudden bizarre mistakes begin to occur. They are so costly and tend to either keep the cpu ahead or keep them in contention. You want examples, you got it. On the Pk, too many clearances from my defensive zone either get gloved by the cpu d men or are intercepted by the forwards. On numerous occasions the puck won't go where it is intended to go often getting picked off and shot on goal usually follows.

Clearances also magically fly over the boards for more penalties when they haven't been aimed high, cleared with enough power to go over the glass or even sent in the direction they end up going. Same for passes, they get turned over to the cpu who is in a position on the ice in a totally different direction to where I passed the puck. It adds up to advantageous opportunities that dont feel in the spirit of the game. If the cpu is wanting to start something, let them drop the gloves on me. To that end, I can live with the cpu being really aggressive but keeping within the laws of the game that my team are governed by. None of this rules for them, rules for me business.

The skating has changed. I really would like to go back to the out of the box skating. That was awesome. Now, it plays either too arcade like with players spinning or doing 270 degree turns and it feels loose or at the other extreme it feels like 2k10 where you have to let go of the controls for a moment before moving your skater otherwise they get bogged down.

I am only playing I true broadcast and the tuners have not helped playing on this angle. I am almost never using the one timer because it seems pointless to even try. Players whiff on the shot and the puck gets turned over.

I will try pro default settings again and hope for the best. Maybe I can make a new sign in account on the xbox dashboard and play the game on that. I dont think downloaded content applies to new sign in accounts.

Really frustrated.

[tofubrain2]

Quote: Originally Posted by 18 eighty 5

Ok, I have been playing this game since I got the demo and the retail version at launch. It is hard to find offline competition where the cpu isn't getting maddening advantages that hurt the fun of playing. The real killers are loose pucks and pass/clearance interceptions and brutal cpu play that gets no consequences for roughness. Seriously, how are they able to check from behind so savagely that my guy gets hurled to the ice? The same check gets penalised if I try it, but, often I can't catch the cpu to lay the hit. On All Star, the puck is almost never really free and loose, it nearly always belongs to the cpu. Deflections mid ice off a stick always go to the cpu. This is exacerbated by the total passivity by my team mates to go for pucks or even just play with intensity. I have caught my guys parked along the boards facing away from the action like its break time at practice. This is silly. It seems context sensitive when sudden bizarre mistakes begin to occur. They are so costly and tend to either keep the cpu ahead or keep them in contention. You want examples, you got it. On the Pk, too many clearances from my defensive zone either get gloved by the cpu d men or are intercepted by the forwards. On numerous occasions the puck won't go where it is intended to go often getting picked off and shot on goal usually follows. Clearances also magically fly over the boards for more penalties when they haven't been aimed high, cleared with enough power to go over the glass or even sent in the direction they end up going. Same for passes, they get turned over to the cpu who is in a position on the ice in a totally different direction to where I passed the puck. It adds up to advantageous opportunities that dont feel in the spirit of the game. If the cpu is wanting to start something, let them drop the gloves on me. To that end, I can live with the cpu being really aggressive but keeping within the laws of the game that my team are governed by. None of this rules for them, rules for me business. The skating has changed. I really would like to go back to the out of the box skating. That was awesome. Now, it plays either too arcade like with players spinning or doing 270 degree turns and it feels loose or at the other extreme it feels like 2k10 where you have to let go of the controls for a moment before moving your skater otherwise they get bogged down. I am only playing I true broadcast and the tuners have not helped playing on this angle. I am almost never using the one timer because it seems pointless to even try. Players whiff on the shot and the puck gets turned over. I will try pro default settings again and hope for the best. Maybe I can make a new sign in account on the xbox dashboard and play the game on that. I dont think downloaded content applies to new sign in accounts. Really frustrated.

You bring to the table some real valid concerns, many of which I have experienced. I am eagerly awaiting the Title Update... maybe we have some hope the game will revert to out-of-box with the latest improvements in goalies and penalty frequency. Here's to hopin.

[kyussmanchu]

my issues with the magical CPU tend to stem from the incredible ability the CPU has to always end up with possession of the puck. I poke it away, it goes right to a CPU player. I hit the player with the puck, he falls on the puck and blocks my ability to get it and then he gets up and get the puck. I block a shot, it deflects right to the CPU who fires off a pin-point accurate shot in milliseconds. I deflect a pass, guess what? It goes right to the CPU.
Add to that the fact that the CPU D-men dont even need to stick-lift or poke check to get the puck off of my stick and you have an utterly frustrating experience.
Hell, i turned down passing, pass receptions, stick lift, poke check and puck control to 0 for the CPU and tested these settings and the cpu still out passed and possessed me.
There's something wrong here.

[Vikes1]

I've turned down the Cpu strategy adjustment slider to 1, in hopes that it'll trim back the cpu's ability to crank things up. I've only played one game so far with that setting. So not sure yet how much of a difference it'll make.

I'm glad the cpu has the ability to turn up the pressure when it's behind. But yeah...at times it just seems to be a bit much. Like the ice is tilted in the cpu's favor.

[NateAndStuff]

This is a problem in pretty much all sports games. The way they make the games more difficult is to make the CPU cheat. It's been going on forever and will probably never stop.

Sometimes it's annoying and I wish that we had the same aids the CPU does just to make it even, but I've actually grown to not mind it really. I'm having a hard enough time making the CPU challenging.

[18 eighty 5]

Quote: Originally Posted by NateAndStuff

This is a problem in pretty much all sports games. The way they make the games more difficult is to make the CPU cheat. It's been going on forever and will probably never stop. Sometimes it's annoying and I wish that we had the same aids the CPU does just to make it even, but I've actually grown to not mind it really. I'm having a hard enough time making the CPU challenging.

I hear ya Nate. I guess my frustrations lie on All Star and higher. Playing on true broadcast cam makes you see the game differently. I have now opted to play on pro level because the cpu doesnt go nuts, the game feels way more balanced and the skating feels best on this level.

[sweetjones]

Wow, I thought I was the only one that sees this. Im starting to think that maybe it's our(human) play style that effects the cpu. It seems like 95% of my goals are earned and 95% of the cpu goals are str8 BS. It's gotten so annoying that I stopped playing. I learned that throwing my controller doesn't solve the issue. So much BS happens when u poke, stick lift, or body check, that it's not even worth do it against the cpu. If you poke check, the puck goes str8 to the cpu. If you stick-lift, their recovery is so fast that it makes it pointless because the same player gets it back. I've body checked a player into the boards right after he was hit into the boards and he still had the puck. None of the above makes me want to play so HOPEFULLY the title update fixes something to make me want to play again. smh

[Starducket Moon]

My favorite was the part where I was up by one in the third period, killed off four penalties that overlapped eachother until there was 20 seconds left on the final penalty kill with two minutes left in the game. Get the puck, skate unmolested to my blue line, decide to dump the puck to allow a fresh line change and my defenseman shoots the puck sideways over the glass. They score to tie the game. I rage. In overtime I get for no reason my goon who stands ontop of my left winger giving me five players to start OT. He gets a roughing penalty away from the play and I give up a short handed goal. I rage again. Girlfriend doesn't understand why I play a game that just makes me angry. Then she tells me her sister is coming to spend the night. I rage.

[wolfsjetta12]

This happens to me all the time! I agree with whoever said it feels like the ice tilts. That's exactly how it feels. I work, work, work for goals get up by two going into the third, and what happens they come out and score 2 of the worst goals you have ever seen. It's like your team stops trying and they become superman. Doesn't seem to matter what you do it's like it is already set that you will lose. I wish I could find some sliders to adjust this but nothing I have tried seems to help. Except going out and scoring like 3 more goals.

[kerosene31]

Quote: Originally Posted by NateAndStuff

This is a problem in pretty much all sports games. The way they make the games more difficult is to make the CPU cheat. It's been going on forever and will probably never stop. Sometimes it's annoying and I wish that we had the same aids the CPU does just to make it even, but I've actually grown to not mind it really. I'm having a hard enough time making the CPU challenging.

That's it exactly. I've never played a sports game where the CPU didn't cheat. There's just no way a $60 console game is going to fairly "out-think" a human opponent.

The CPU is going to get boosts, and if you look close enough you are going to see the puppet master's strings.

I agree it is frustrating as heck, but for most of us, playing on a lower difficulty level isn't an option.

Also, as Vikes1 mentioned, turning down the AI strategy slider does help. It doesn't fix the problem but it does seem to make the CPU's surge to be more manageable and realistic.