Before we jump into everything that's new in NHL 12, it's important to know where we've been. Since evolving to the current generation of consoles, the EA SPORTS NHL franchise has been on the forefront of many innovative and game changing features and enhancements. Within this first entry on the new site, we resurface the final four pieces from NHL 11’s In the Crease blog where we looked back on the implementation of some of the biggest additions to the franchise, and shared comments from both the developers and fans who have spent countless hours enjoying them alike.

 

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Franchise Feature: The Skill Stick

[ 28, April 2010]

In our first of four Franchise Feature blogs, we highlight what both we and our fans feel is the most revolutionary feature to be implemented into the EA SPORTS NHL series since the game hit the current generation of consoles:  The Skill Stick.  Introduced into the series in NHL 07, the Skill Stick represented a watershed moment in console hockey.  For the first time it gave users the power to play in the game as it is on the ice, without taking their thumbs off the analog sticks.  The left analog functions as your skates and the right as your hockey stick to give you a skill-based execution with an intuitive feel.

“The use of the Right Analog stick has given users an unprecedented amount of control over their character on the screen,” says Producer Sean Ramjagsingh.  “The most successful implementations are the ones that have a level of familiarity to doing the actions in real life such as rolling back for a wrist shot or moving the puck from side to side to avoid poke-checking defenders.”

“When development went into rebuilding the gameplay engine to take advantage of the hardware of the new generation of gaming consoles, it was quite obvious that the developers wanted to set the tone right off the bat on their goal to be the most realistic and innovated hockey gaming franchise on the market. And set the tone they did,” says NHL Forums Sr. Moderator and Game Changer Joseph Akinbode-Layne.

“With the transition in controllers moving from buttons only to dual stick design, it seemed smart to make hockey follow along and transition stick control from buttons to the right control stick.  It’s safe to say it was a match made in heaven.”

For a while, hockey gamers were torn between doing what they were used to and playing with buttons rather than learning a new skill and adapting to the new controls.  The developers did the right thing and not only had the option to select either control scheme, but also introduced a set of hybrid controls where users were able to use both buttons and the Right Analog stick for those that wanted to try something new but still had a hard time letting go.  For some change is easy, for others, not so much.

“When I chat with people about the game,” Rammer states, “I would say 9 out of every 10 people I talk to have moved to the Skill Stick because of the amount of control it gives them.  HOWEVER, there’s always one person in every group, especially older groups, that still prefers the classic button control because it takes them back to the controls that they grew up with.”

Personally, I know the only constant in life is change, and I’m easily adaptable and have enjoyed the Skill Stick controls since they were put int the game back in 2006.  How about you?  Are you still using the classic controls or have you fully adapted to the Skill Stick?  Here are a few comments from our community on the feature:

“The Skill Stick is by far the greatest innovation implemented into the game thus far,”WingsFan.

“Without a doubt, the most important feature is the Skill Stick,” Brent Cunniff.

“The immersion factor multiplied by a thousand with the Skill Stick feature.  Never before did deking, slap shots, and a nicely wound up wrist shot felt so good.  It was a game changer,” Joborule

“The biggest feature is the Skill Stick.  This is the one single feature that took the game to the next level.  You can probably say the same about OTP/EASHL, but it is the Skill Stick that makes me play those modes.  It’s made the entire game so much better,”EA SPORTS NHL Forums Moderator Christer Bechmann-Pedersen.

Good segueway as next week we look at the next Franchise Feature:  OTP/EASHL.  Let us know what your thoughts are about this and maybe we’ll publish your comments in next week’s blog!

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NHL Franchise Feature - Be a Pro

[05, May 2010]

In our continuing series looking at some of the most innovative features to be introduced to the EA SPORTS NHL franchise, this week we talk a bit about Be a Pro and how it has impacted hockey gamers.

The Be A Pro feature made its first appearance in NHL 09. The mode allows you to create yourself so you can play thru a career where you will get drafted be assigned to an AHL team and start your road to the NHL where you are attempting to become a superstar. You can also use this character in the EA Sports Hockey League was also introduced in NHL 09. This highly successful feature allows you to join teams with other players online and challenge for EA Sports Hockey League supremacy.

“It was very important that the feature resonated well with our consumers because we were aiming at making the mode be a big part of what a user wants to do with his character,” states Associate Producer Andy Agostini.  “Most users who play sports video games at one point or another have dreamed about being a superstar professional athlete. The mode allows you that by going thru the same path a NHL player would take by being able to choose a team and start in the American Hockey League and eventually get to the NHL the best hockey league in the world.”

“To become a NHL legend you have to rise to expectations and prove to those watching that you have what it takes to be that go-to player that carries his team to success,” comments NHL Game Changer and Forums Moderator Joseph Akinbode-Layne.  “NHL 09 brought the NHL career concept into the virtual world, and the following years have saw this game mode replicate a hockey player career before and during their NHL career.”

Agostini continues, “With that being said we also wanted to change how people viewed a created character. We wanted them to feel that this character was an extension of themselves that they could play online with other users and create teams to battle against each other. This was to be the first console based MMO for sports.”

With over 35,000 teams a year playing in the EA Sports Hockey League, it is as close as some people will ever get to playing high level hockey. We know of professional hockey players who have played in the EA Sports Hockey League so it makes us proud that a pro hockey player would feel that the experience online is fun and realistic for them as guys that play hockey for a living.

As Akinbode stated above, evolution of the mode has endured over the years:

> In NHL 10 we added a prospects game where the user would play against the best draft eligible players and depending on how they did teams would draft them in the upcoming draft.

> In NHL 11 we added the Canadian Hockey League which is the biggest provider of talent to the NHL in the draft. A user could play in the Memorial Cup and see if he could lead his team to that championship which would help his draft status in the NHL Entry draft.

> For the EA Sports Hockey League we added the ability to create Custom jerseys so that everybody could create a unique look for their team as well as providing more stats tracking for the characters online and better ways for users to interact with each other.

Tell us about your Pro in the comments below and let us know what kind of career you’ve had in the virtual NHL or EASHL!

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NHL Franchise Feature - OTP / EASHL

[12, May 2010]

In our continuing look at features that have had the biggest impact on the EA SPORTS NHL franchise over the last few years, this week we take a look at one of the online franchise game changers with Online Team Play and the EA SPORTS Hockey League.

Introduced into the franchise in NHL 09 the EA Sports Hockey League has made the online aspect of the NHL franchise more social.  Before you would play versus games against people that were entirely random or against the same friends over and over.  Now people are looking for teams to play with, scheduling gaming times and making friends that are hockey fans who want to have fun and be successful through teamwork.

I asked Producer Andy Agostini how the idea of OTP and the EASHL came about.  “With us looking at building a Be A Pro mode we wanted to make the character you built more than just a character for a single player mode,” stated Agostini.  “We wanted to let people see your character as a great player.  Being a legend at home by yourself is one thing but being a legend to the NHL world was another thing.

“So we sat in a room and started discussing how to bring this character out to the masses.  We started talking Rec hockey, which a lot of our staff play, and we came up with the idea of making the EA Sports Hockey League where people could join teams and play in pick-up games; very similar to Rec hockey.  Once we created the name and the logo it started to feel more and more like a complete world for a Be A Pro player to take his character and see if he can dominate against other user created players.

“When we started this mode we thought we would get about 2500 teams to begin with.”

In the first year over 40000 teams were created.  Needless to say, the feature resonated well with our fans.

“I don’t think there’s any other game mode or sports game period that requires and rewards teamwork more than OTP/EASHL,”says EA SPORTS Forums moderator and Game Changer Stephen Boraske, a member of team Imperial Reign.  “The mode is fun when you play by yourself, but it’s even better when you get a group of 4-5 guys together, establish positions, strategies, etc.  I really don’t think there’s anything in sports gaming to match it.  I’ve literally made friends through the mode which is something I never really thought possible in a video game”

“The EASHL is a huge innovation to the NHL series regarding online play,” states EA SPORTS NHL moderator Mike Lopez, also a member of Imperial Reign.  “Who wouldn’t want to control their very own “pro” and play up to 6v6 with all human controlled players?  That’s why I play the NHL series online.”

Not only are our fans enjoying the EASHL but pros alike have gotten into the mix.

“I know of some Canadian Hockey League teams that have created EA Sports Hockey League teams to play on so that they can do stuff with their friends when they aren’t actually physically with them,” says Agostini.  “I find that a lot of people have moved around as they get jobs and this is a way for them to play on teams with friends that they have back in their hometown.”

As with all game modes in sports video games, OTP and the EASHL have seen their share of evolutionary growth.

“The first year we created this mode we really had no example of something like this to go by we had to create everything from scratch,” Agostini comments.   “We focused on the team experience getting people to play with each other and the ability to play online with other people.  With that being said our biggest mantra after the first year was to look at what the EA Sports Hockey League community was saying and start to make changes that the community wanted.”

From improved team hub screens to a more robust team jersey creator, players and teams were able to create a more unique identity and navigate the menus better.  Adding the ability to practice was a huge addition to the EASHL and with monthly seasons and playoffs, these changes made playing the game every month fresh and new, with teams battling to win their division, get into the playoffs and become champions themselves.

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NHL Franchise Feature - HUT / EAUHL

[18, May 2010]

In this week's NHL Franchise Feature we look at a feature introduced in NHL 11 that has totally changed the way hockey gamers play NHL with the  Hockey Ultimate Team game mode.  Along with HUT, the EA SPORTS Ultimate Hockey League (EAUHL) was built and currently holds over 100,000 teams vying for virtual Season Trophies and EAUHL Championships.

The idea of Hockey Ultimate Team and came about with understanding that it was important that gamers have the ability to create their own team and collect players that they wanted to play with.

"The main thing we wanted to create was a kind of franchise mode for people who play online," saysProducer Andy Agostini. "With the ability to train players into superstars, manage a salary cap and build team chemistry, you'd be able to give your team every advantage when it faces other teams in the EAUHL.  We believe we've provided that."

Following in the footsteps of the FIFA and Madden franchises, the NHL's version of Ultimate Team is similar yet has a unique flavor that separates itself from the others with the implementation of monthly seasons, playoffs, and real-world prizing.

"After seeing the success of Football Ultimate Team we had always been interested in the idea of Hockey Ultimate Team," continues Agostini.  "When we decided to build the feature in NHL 11 we went and spoke with the FIFA developers to discuss how they made this great feature.  After that discussion we decided create the feature but with a hockey spin to it."

Scott Vanderspek, GM of team BLACKOUT on the XBOX 360, found himself on top of the Leaderboards as the Overall EAUHL Champion last fall.  "HUT is a very exciting game mode which is sort of a cross between the Be a GM mode and Online Versus Play," stated Vanderspek who also earned a trip to the Winter Classic this past January with his Season Championship.  "Players who enjoy customizing their team to best suit their style of play, as well as the intense competition involved in online play, will love this game mode."

"Another great aspect of Hockey Ultimate Team is the ability to play a variety of different teams which contrasts with traditional Versus play in that the majority of your opponents will choose from a select number of elite teams in the NHL which can become quite repetitive," says Vanderspek.

"The idea of creating a team and managing it so that you can put the players you want on the ice and proving that they can win was one that drew us to the feature," says Agostini.  "Fantasy Sports are built on this model and fans think they can build a better team than the general managers and coaches of their favorite teams."

As with many new game modes, there's usually room for improvements and it's usually our top players that provide some of the best feedback.

"One area that I would like to see improvements in is with the reduction in the amount of certain popular players," states Vanderspek.  "Playing online, it seems as though at least half of your opponents tend to have a Taylor Hall or Jordan Eberle.  I find this strange seeing as the odds of seeing a Crosby, Malkin or Ovechkin are so low."

Sounds like every GM in the NHL to me, who wouldn't want more Crosbys, Malkins or Oveckins!  But I get your drift, and luckily Agostini and the rest of the team are confident that there will be plenty of improvements that current and new HUT fans will be sure to appreciate.

"We are always trying to improve the modes we create," says Agostini.  "Hockey Ultimate Team will be something we're looking at this year as well."