NHL 10 Preview: Improved AI and Puck Physics
Posted by Eric "TheHerp" Galaviz on August 28th, 2009
NHL 09 had a great combination of fluid gameplay and speed, which created one of the best hockey experiences in a video game. As good as the gameplay was it did have some problems with the way the offensive and defensive AI positioned themselves and at times it seemed like the puck was made of super glue. As realistic as the game looked there were a lot of unrealistic plays happening on both sides of the puck. This year EA Canada hopes to bring some more realism to the game by improving the AI and the way the puck moves. In our second installment of previewing NHL 10 we are going to tell you all about these improvements and why this will force you to play differently from last year’s title.
In our last preview we told you about all the improvements made to the goalie AI. It might seem like it’s harder to score goals because of that but with the improved offensive AI you will just have to be smarter about how you get scoring chances. Let’s start with the fundamentals, passing the puck; after all if you can’t pass the puck you won’t get any scoring chances. Passing is more precise this year with the ability to pass the puck in more directions and to be able to control the strength of the pass. With more directions in which you can pass the puck, you can space ahead of a player allowing you more options when on break away attacks. You can also pass the puck to yourself off the boards if you want to get fancy. The strength of the pass depends on how you hit the button. Barely tap it and the puck will move slowly towards the player, hold down on the button and the puck will move much faster. Once you get the passing down you’ll notice the shooting has also been tweaked. Shooting is much more dynamic this year with the ability to bat the puck in if it’s in mid air, grab the puck if it’s deflected or leaving the zone, and star players will even be able to shoot from their knees if he gets taken down while on a break away. Fake shots will also be much easier to perform this year by simply hitting the R3 button.
Once you are on the attack you will notice that the CPU controlled players will act more natural this year by getting open in space and rushing the net for rebounds. Last year I would always try to dump the puck in on offense but it never worked because my teammates could never get there in time. This year you can dump the puck in and the CPU players will be quicker to react to what you are doing, get in position to get the puck and look for an open man. Players will also get in front of the goalie to try and deflect the puck, which is how a lot of teams try to score in real life. They will work the puck around the net, send it back to the point and take a shot from there. Players will then try to position themselves in front of the goalie to try to deflect the puck in the net or just obstruct the view of the goalie. This year when you are on the attack you might want to try to work the puck around before actually going in for a shot. Another reason you might want to hold on to the puck longer is to allow your players to get in for rebounds. In NHL 09 if there was a rebound opportunity the player would almost always miss the puck because the same button to shot is used for checking. This year if you are close to the net the player will no longer try to check and instead will go after the rebound to get a shot off. So instead of taking easy shot’s to the glove hand you might want to try to get rebound opportunities by shooting low or aiming for the goalies pad. With these changes you can play more realistically and you might have to since some of last year’s tactics might not work due to the improvements made to the defensive AI.
On the other side of the puck there have been some minor tweaks but these changes will allow the defense to be more dynamic. The defense used to be very predictable and you could easily skate around them to get scoring chances. In NHL 10 the defense will be much less predictable moving into open spaces and reacting to where you are going instead of getting into a specific position on the ice. The defense will not always back up into the goalie when you are on the attack, they will try to stand you up on the blue line or cut you off if you try to go wide. With the better positioning of the defense you won’t be able to dance around them without being contested. The addition of board play also adds so much more to the defense by giving them another option to contain players without over committing and eventually leaving a man wide open. The defensive AI, in my opinion, seems like it needed more work than the offense but the biggest thing was the defense backing into the goalie every time the puck was coming down. Since that is being fixed it could solve a lot of problems I had with the defense in NHL 09.
One thing that has changed dramatically and ultimately adds to the improvements the AI is the improvements made to puck physics. Last year the puck seemed to be glued to the ice or the goalies pads, this year the puck will move in a more realistic way. If you throw your stick at the puck when a player is taking a shot, chances are the puck is going to fly up in the air. Deflections have a bigger impact this year because the puck will not always go in the same direction. You’ll sometimes see a puck pop straight up in the air or fly up against the boards. The puck will also get away from players more realistically when it’s poked away, which is definitely a big deal on defense. Shots will also deflect off the goalie differently this year. There might be shots that hit the goalies pad and fly off the back boards right back in front of the net and you’ll get another scoring chance, something you didn’t really see last year. In NHL 09 there were times where the puck would roll on top of the goalie or off the back very unrealistically, with the new puck physics you will rarely see this happen. The puck will no longer stick to the goalie but instead bounce off the goalie, as it should, and this will give players a great shot at a rebound. What the new physics also brings is the ability to grab the puck when it’s in the air. If the puck is knocked up into the air the player will automatically grab it and get it back on the ice to either clear it out of the zone or to get another scoring chance.
The new puck physics and improved AI will bring a more realistic playing style to NHL 10. My one concern is that the puck could end up in the air way too much but hopefully that’s not the case. The AI was one of the biggest issues last year but only because they didn’t act realistically. These improvements look to change that, which should make hockey fans very happy. As always be sure to check back with us again for our preview the new Board Play, First Person Fighting and the different gameplay styles.
[Source: nhl.easports.com]
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