Quick questions

[tk43]

So after playing for 100+ hours with 4 teams I decided to ask a few questions/highlight a few things.

First off, the game is better than any previous versions, fair play to the guys for all their hard work.

I only play modern day NHL as a GM/HC.
Always start on the first of July to give myself enough time for trades to set up for opening night. My trading difficulty is set to much, much harder with the hidden traits to extreme.
First thing I do with every team is hiring my own coaching staff (bar the Penguins as theirs is amazing), set my same tactics. I do SIM the games, don't watch them.

Played with the Panthers to see the Barkov-Tkachuk partnership, with the Oilers to see what can McDavid achieve, my favourite team the Penguins to see what's left in Crosby and Co. and started with the Senators to see what the young core can develop into.

I'm not sure what to think of the starting settings of percentages of points or talent from previous seasons stats. What is the best way to set this up? leave it alone?

I had various success with each team.
By far most successful were the Oilers (played 12 seasons with them) winning 8 cups, McDavid got over 900 goals and 2100 points and still has 3 years on the last contract.
What I find strange in this save is that he would always start out super hot and have 90 points in 40/45 games and then it either slows to 30-40 points for the rest of the season or he gets injured. Every year! I think there was only one year where he got to 82 games.
As this is my longest save, I've the most comments to it.

No AI GM seems to be able to get a "hometown" discount from any of their players. Everyone gets a raise on their last contract and that becomes an issue. I was able to resign Draisaitl at the same 8.5mil a year for 8 years and McDavid for 9.5mil a year for 8 years. that's a 3mil a year cap saving.

Superstars (4.5-5 star players) going to free agency are fairly in line with real life initially, the problem is, that there is 90% of the time no one able to sign them for cap reasons, and on the 31st of august you can get them on the cheap for a long term. If they signed for 1 year for 3-4 million, and went back to free agency next year, it would be more realistic.

Trading, the holy grail of any management simulation.
My main and only issue is still the same as previous years, no sellers or buyers at the deadline. That, and the fact that I did not receive a single offer from anyone in 12 years.
The trade block is a waste of effort (might be harsh wording) as it doesn't seem to matter what I offer for the players there, it isn't good for the team putting them on it.
In my humble opinion, the "team outlook" should play into the decision making during trades too... win now teams shouldn't trade their star players for prospects or for rights to drafted players and picks, while a rebuilding team shouldn't really trade for a 4.5star player with 4-5 years of a bad contract.


Goalies I can still play my goalie in all 82 games and it doesn't seem to have any impact and AI still plays a 2.5 star goalie in the playoffs over a 4star one. If they started the 4 start and after losing 2 games reverted to the 2.5 I wouldn't point it out. Or if after losing 2 in a row in the series they went back to the 4star one. Calgary with Vladar is the main example.

Clique this while a good feature, is quite annoying. I had to tear down the entire Senators team as multiple cliques formed over the 3 seasons I played. As soon as I removed one, another appeared.
I have my Negotiating and Man management traits upgraded as first together with tactics on and off the ice, and I don't know what else to do to stop this from happening. I don't seem to have any disruptive or selfish players, maybe 1-2 outspoken or unpopular and it absolutely destroys the team. Yet others with "open hostility" are cruising....

My Panthers and Penguins saves are very similar.... no matter what I do, I'll finish 2nd or 3rd in the division and lose in the playoffs, never got to the Stanley cup final, even when I recreated nearly identical rosters on all 4 teams... with the same tactics.

Training - I leave this to my assistant all the time (same assistant in every save) with incredibly mixed results.
This should help my players to learn how to play under my tactics... but it doesn't seem to be the case. And the fact that a lot of the players upgrade skills irrelevant to their position is flat out annoying. When my top 2 D man who is set to "rushing defence man" and his skills improved are face offs and hitting. Same for a lot of other players. An assistant that has "very good" or "great" training attributes should be better at assigning training.

I do enjoy the game a lot and I know the devs are trying to improve every aspect of it, personal opinion, the modern day should be the main focus.

I really enjoy the contracts displaying what teams the player will accept a trade to.

There was a number of head scratching AI trades of players for high picks just for the player to be waived the next day, a few high potential players rights lapsed and other "bugs" mentioned on various other posts.

Attaching my Oilers roster in year 12 and Senators in year 4. I rage deleted the Panthers and Penguins saves as I couldn't win the cup with a loaded roster with either of them as mentioned above. The Senators team will get the rest of this year to win it all before I end up doing the same...

[Savoie45]

Originally Posted by tk43

So after playing for 100+ hours with 4 teams I decided to ask a few questions/highlight a few things.

First off, the game is better than any previous versions, fair play to the guys for all their hard work.

I only play modern day NHL as a GM/HC.
Always start on the first of July to give myself enough time for trades to set up for opening night. My trading difficulty is set to much, much harder with the hidden traits to extreme.
First thing I do with every team is hiring my own coaching staff (bar the Penguins as theirs is amazing), set my same tactics. I do SIM the games, don't watch them.

Played with the Panthers to see the Barkov-Tkachuk partnership, with the Oilers to see what can McDavid achieve, my favourite team the Penguins to see what's left in Crosby and Co. and started with the Senators to see what the young core can develop into.

I'm not sure what to think of the starting settings of percentages of points or talent from previous seasons stats. What is the best way to set this up? leave it alone?

I had various success with each team.
By far most successful were the Oilers (played 12 seasons with them) winning 8 cups, McDavid got over 900 goals and 2100 points and still has 3 years on the last contract.
What I find strange in this save is that he would always start out super hot and have 90 points in 40/45 games and then it either slows to 30-40 points for the rest of the season or he gets injured. Every year! I think there was only one year where he got to 82 games.
As this is my longest save, I've the most comments to it.

No AI GM seems to be able to get a "hometown" discount from any of their players. Everyone gets a raise on their last contract and that becomes an issue. I was able to resign Draisaitl at the same 8.5mil a year for 8 years and McDavid for 9.5mil a year for 8 years. that's a 3mil a year cap saving.

Superstars (4.5-5 star players) going to free agency are fairly in line with real life initially, the problem is, that there is 90% of the time no one able to sign them for cap reasons, and on the 31st of august you can get them on the cheap for a long term. If they signed for 1 year for 3-4 million, and went back to free agency next year, it would be more realistic.

Trading, the holy grail of any management simulation.
My main and only issue is still the same as previous years, no sellers or buyers at the deadline. That, and the fact that I did not receive a single offer from anyone in 12 years.
The trade block is a waste of effort (might be harsh wording) as it doesn't seem to matter what I offer for the players there, it isn't good for the team putting them on it.
In my humble opinion, the "team outlook" should play into the decision making during trades too... win now teams shouldn't trade their star players for prospects or for rights to drafted players and picks, while a rebuilding team shouldn't really trade for a 4.5star player with 4-5 years of a bad contract.


Goalies I can still play my goalie in all 82 games and it doesn't seem to have any impact and AI still plays a 2.5 star goalie in the playoffs over a 4star one. If they started the 4 start and after losing 2 games reverted to the 2.5 I wouldn't point it out. Or if after losing 2 in a row in the series they went back to the 4star one. Calgary with Vladar is the main example.

Clique this while a good feature, is quite annoying. I had to tear down the entire Senators team as multiple cliques formed over the 3 seasons I played. As soon as I removed one, another appeared.
I have my Negotiating and Man management traits upgraded as first together with tactics on and off the ice, and I don't know what else to do to stop this from happening. I don't seem to have any disruptive or selfish players, maybe 1-2 outspoken or unpopular and it absolutely destroys the team. Yet others with "open hostility" are cruising....

My Panthers and Penguins saves are very similar.... no matter what I do, I'll finish 2nd or 3rd in the division and lose in the playoffs, never got to the Stanley cup final, even when I recreated nearly identical rosters on all 4 teams... with the same tactics.

Training - I leave this to my assistant all the time (same assistant in every save) with incredibly mixed results.
This should help my players to learn how to play under my tactics... but it doesn't seem to be the case. And the fact that a lot of the players upgrade skills irrelevant to their position is flat out annoying. When my top 2 D man who is set to "rushing defence man" and his skills improved are face offs and hitting. Same for a lot of other players. An assistant that has "very good" or "great" training attributes should be better at assigning training.

I do enjoy the game a lot and I know the devs are trying to improve every aspect of it, personal opinion, the modern day should be the main focus.

I really enjoy the contracts displaying what teams the player will accept a trade to.

There was a number of head scratching AI trades of players for high picks just for the player to be waived the next day, a few high potential players rights lapsed and other "bugs" mentioned on various other posts.

Attaching my Oilers roster in year 12 and Senators in year 4. I rage deleted the Panthers and Penguins saves as I couldn't win the cup with a loaded roster with either of them as mentioned above. The Senators team will get the rest of this year to win it all before I end up doing the same...

You have to put players on the trade block in order to get any offers. I usually do so at the beginning of the season, but after the All-Star Break is probably the latest I'd put players on the block. Most offers will likely be at the deadline.

To help avoid team issues up your personal GM ratings for Player Management and Discipline. Also, make sure you're looking at a player scouting report to make sure they stay out of trouble off the ice.

Yes, training is for attribute increases. I set them myself for the very reason that if I have an offensive player and I don't want his defense attributes improved, I don't check that box. OF course, I don't think this eliminates them improving those attributes, it just removes the focus on them. Plus, I can choose the player with the higher potential to improve first.

[renojedi]

A lot of good points...these two bug me the most:

Originally Posted by tk43

Goalies I can still play my goalie in all 82 games and it doesn't seem to have any impact and AI still plays a 2.5 star goalie in the playoffs over a 4star one. If they started the 4 start and after losing 2 games reverted to the 2.5 I wouldn't point it out. Or if after losing 2 in a row in the series they went back to the 4star one. Calgary with Vladar is the main example.

There was a number of head scratching AI trades of players for high picks just for the player to be waived the next day, a few high potential players rights lapsed and other "bugs" mentioned on various other posts.

Originally Posted by tk43

I do enjoy the game a lot and I know the devs are trying to improve every aspect of it, personal opinion, the modern day should be the main focus.

And totally agree with this. I get they have to add things to attract new customers and convince existing customers to upgrade each year but it seems like the effort may be being spread too thin.

[Savoie45]

Originally Posted by renojedi

A lot of good points...these two bug me the most:






And totally agree with this. I get they have to add things to attract new customers and convince existing customers to upgrade each year but it seems like the effort may be being spread too thin.

It happens with every annual sports game that I've ever played. Trying to find that balance of attracting new customers while fixing aspects of the existing game. It's a no-win situation really as they can rarely do enough to please both every year. Plus, the more you add to and fix the game, the higher risk of breaking something else within the game. Some issues either can't be replicated or would cause even more problems if they tried to fix them.

[tk43]

Originally Posted by Savoie45

You have to put players on the trade block in order to get any offers. I usually do so at the beginning of the season, but after the All-Star Break is probably the latest I'd put players on the block. Most offers will likely be at the deadline.

To help avoid team issues up your personal GM ratings for Player Management and Discipline. Also, make sure you're looking at a player scouting report to make sure they stay out of trouble off the ice.

Yes, training is for attribute increases. I set them myself for the very reason that if I have an offensive player and I don't want his defense attributes improved, I don't check that box. OF course, I don't think this eliminates them improving those attributes, it just removes the focus on them. Plus, I can choose the player with the higher potential to improve first.

I'm sure real life GM's enquire about players that aren't on the trading block. at least once in 12 years. If a team has a need and I'm hovering on the bubble of making the playoffs they could come in and ask about a puck moving Dman or checking centre...
When I'm making trades for people on the Trade block, I can never get them. And I tried to offer like for like and add draft picks!!! Most notable players that end up on the trade block and I wanted are Makar and Svechinkov but can't get either even if I offer another 5star player and 3 first round picks.

Player management and motivation are always the first ones to get upgrades, Discipline is not high on my priority list, but that would be the same in all my saves and it was only the Senators that the entire team was fighting with each other.

I agree with you on the training and will try to assign it myself, but I still feel that a top Assistant coach should be able to assign this correctly. What is the point in having him otherwise?

[tk43]

Originally Posted by Savoie45

It happens with every annual sports game that I've ever played. Trying to find that balance of attracting new customers while fixing aspects of the existing game. It's a no-win situation really as they can rarely do enough to please both every year. Plus, the more you add to and fix the game, the higher risk of breaking something else within the game. Some issues either can't be replicated or would cause even more problems if they tried to fix them.

As said, I do enjoy the game a lot, bought most of the releases and will in the future too to support the Devs. They are doing a great job
Have 100+ hours played and probably will have another few hundred

[Thegr8199]

I tried to hire Barry Trotz, but when right clicked on him i got nothing. I went into his profile and went to the action menu and it was greyed out. He showed as unemployed but i couldn't hire him.
I then tried Mike Yeo and I was able to right click on him and got the option to hire as an assistant or head coach. Some coaches just don't work and was hoping someone could tell me if i'm doing something wrong?

[progen]

Still playing through first game, and it's been a while since I played any kind of hockey game. What date does free agency start. I believe in the NHL it's July 1st, wondering if that's the same in the game?

[reverist]

Originally Posted by progen

Still playing through first game, and it's been a while since I played any kind of hockey game. What date does free agency start. I believe in the NHL it's July 1st, wondering if that's the same in the game?

Absolutely!

[Adam B]

Originally Posted by progen

Still playing through first game, and it's been a while since I played any kind of hockey game. What date does free agency start. I believe in the NHL it's July 1st, wondering if that's the same in the game?

Free Agency "Starts" July 1st, but no Free Agent will sign until after the Amateur Draft is completed in Early July.