Gamechanger event #1 (very early impressions)

[DJ NEO]

EDIT 2: (April 1st, 2017)

Hello hockey friends,

I think it would be fair to inform you that after very long thinking I decided as a desperate protest to leave the current GameChangers group.
So I did this morning.

I don't like what is happening to the game/where it's heading/where are pressure resources spent, couldn't change it, so I left.

If you knew that basically everything you just named, everything this community wanted forever was thrown out of the window or "deprioritized" not as an exchange for some other meaningful feature, but for something that is exactly opposite that sim community keeps asking for year after year.

Something that I personally think is almost disrespectful for the game of hockey and will change the series forever. Suck the resources from the series and take time from development...

More in the second part of the thread..


Original post:

Guys, not gonna lie, I feel very optimistic now. Im so glad I was here.
If everything goes as planned, NHL 17 will be THAT pure hockey sim some of us waiting for for years.

Yep, Im excited More later as I get home..


EDIT #1

Hey guys,

thanks for the comments and for your support.
Feels like I need to clear few things up, so U better know the situation..

1) Im not here to build the hype for NHL 17, I was just too excited after I met some of the developers and it was
just too hard for me to stay shut up
It doest even makes sense for EA business wise if U think about it, they wanna sell NHL 16 now, not 17 right?

2) Maybe some of U are wondering why they picked me, because Im from Czech republic and thats in Europe, not North America. Well, I was surprised too. I've heard some voices on the internet that we Gamechangers feel so lucky to go to the event that we would hype the game no matter what.

Well, maybe it will surprise U, but my 1st answer was "NO".
I felt really pleased and honored to b invited to the studio of a game which I follow from NHL 93, but as many of U guys I felt this is more PR thing than that I could really change anything.
Which is cool Ya know, for a fan that lives few hours from Vancover, but not for someone who is not exactly flying enthusiast as me and lives in another continent

I also asked them if its really not a problem that Im not very used to speak in english. Believe me, it is quite
a difference to write or read in foreign language than try to make a point, face to face in front of 10+ other
people.
So I was kinda worried that I will travel this far just to look like completely idiot. There is zero fun
factor in it even for a hardcore guy like me hah

But then Shay, community manager, asked me if Im really sure, that I were requested specifically by the
development team for insights into the single player modes, offline GM etc and I said to myself that maybe they are actually really serious about getting feedback.


3) There is no tabu on event.
U can say or ask anything. If U think we just sit there, afraid to ask anything important, U are wrong.
Rammer specifically said that we should b open as possible, thats why we're there.

I can give U few examples if U want.
They asked us something like how we felt about NHL 15 Gamechangers program, I said that I felt like this is just a PR thing.. they asked why I feel this way, I answered that I dont get why to make events like this just to get feedback, if there are forums full of great feedback from community already.

There was a question what we think about NHL 16.. I answered that I dont play it too much, cuz to me it just feel
too much like 15.5, that there is just not enough progress made for someone who played NHL 15 a lot.

Sometimes I felt I was even too much impolite, not that I wanted to, but with my limited language skills I was
just happy I made a point
But hey, they didnt kicked me, so they are good people!

Seriously tho, it was a great disccussion. Sometimes I kinda stopped and just look around telling myself if it is
really happening or Im just dreaming. I wish U guys could experince that too, it was awesome.

4) EA vs. 2K, who is more hardcore?!

Sometimes I read nice comments that Im true SIM guy (or whatever) just because Im a 2K guy. Hey Ven, good to see U here
Venom is probably the most "2K guy" U can meet on internet We had many great and not so great disccussions on good old (

[s_mkheidze]

Re: Gamechanger event #1 (very early impressions)

knowing your love for a pure hockey sim...this has me excited as well.

[Nickflyers]

Re: Gamechanger event #1 (very early impressions)

can't wait!!

[JJMarley]

Re: Gamechanger event #1 (very early impressions)

Hype train!

Sent from my LGLS885 using Tapatalk

[Money99]

Re: Gamechanger event #1 (very early impressions)

Guys, not gonna lie, I feel very optimistic now. Im so glad I was here.
If everything goes as planned, NHL 17 will be THAT pure hockey sim some of us waiting for for years.

Yep, Im excited More later as I get home..

This is me not holding my breath.
I don't doubt what you've seen and played.

But being a former Community guy for a different game (Fight Night) the build we played and the build that was released weren't even close to being the same.
And I've read from other community guys that their experiences were no different for many other EA games.

EA brings in the hardcore and they tweak the game to play for that small, minority, circle of gamers.
The Community guys, in turn, run back to their respective sites, message boards, blogs and praise the EA gods for building a hardcore sim we can all get behind.

But the minute those community guys leave, they change the game back to what the masses would like.

I can't express how excited I was for Fight Night when I first got my hands on it.
I came to these boards singing their praises.
Then the game was released and I had egg all over my face.

The game I played, the jabs and crosses were awesome. You couldn't just wade in and throw punches with abandon. A good jab could keep you at bay, and a flushly landed cross would put you on queer street or keep you honest.
But the retail version dumbed down both punches so they were essentially ineffectual.

I hope I'm wrong about NHL17.
But I've heard this song before.

[AdamJones113]

Re: Gamechanger event #1 (very early impressions)

This is me not holding my breath.
I don't doubt what you've seen and played.

But being a former Community guy for a different game (Fight Night) the build we played and the build that was released weren't even close to being the same.
And I've read from other community guys that their experiences were no different for many other EA games.

EA brings in the hardcore and they tweak the game to play for that small, minority, circle of gamers.
The Community guys, in turn, run back to their respective sites, message boards, blogs and praise the EA gods for building a hardcore sim we can all get behind.

But the minute those community guys leave, they change the game back to what the masses would like.

I can't express how excited I was for Fight Night when I first got my hands on it.
I came to these boards singing their praises.
Then the game was released and I had egg all over my face.

The game I played, the jabs and crosses were awesome. You couldn't just wade in and throw punches with abandon. A good jab could keep you at bay, and a flushly landed cross would put you on queer street or keep you honest.
But the retail version dumbed down both punches so they were essentially ineffectual.

I hope I'm wrong about NHL17.
But I've heard this song before.

I feel the same way... but the game wasn't even played. The first meet was a conceptual, "let's hear your thoughts... here are ours," meeting, not gameplay. From other GCs, I heard that there's some excellent stuff planned (obviously may not make it into the final product) and that the dev team really seems to be on board with all the feedback the GCs brought in.

I know that most GCs had a huge list of community wishes and feedback, and that not all of it was finished: that's how far in-depth discussions went. That, ot gameplay impressions, has me excited for 17.

[mikeyflex]

Re: Gamechanger event #1 (very early impressions)

Just out of curiosity what are you basing your optimism on that NHL 17 is going to be great? I took a look at the packet of suggestions, to be honest, I stopped when I read this, "NHL 16 is far and away the best EA Sports NHL title produced". Sorry to say, someone has to keep it real here, there is no credibility when you make a statement like this. Not looking to troll or stir the pot, just sharing my opinion.

[Money99]

Re: Gamechanger event #1 (very early impressions)

I feel the same way... but the game wasn't even played. The first meet was a conceptual, "let's hear your thoughts... here are ours," meeting, not gameplay. From other GCs, I heard that there's some excellent stuff planned (obviously may not make it into the final product) and that the dev team really seems to be on board with all the feedback the GCs brought in.

I know that most GCs had a huge list of community wishes and feedback, and that not all of it was finished: that's how far in-depth discussions went. That, ot gameplay impressions, has me excited for 17.

So it was only a discussion?
Negative Nancy coming at ya, but... that means even less then.

[DJ NEO]

Re: Gamechanger event #1 (very early impressions)

This is me not holding my breath.
I don't doubt what you've seen and played.

But being a former Community guy for a different game (Fight Night) the build we played and the build that was released weren't even close to being the same.
And I've read from other community guys that their experiences were no different for many other EA games.

EA brings in the hardcore and they tweak the game to play for that small, minority, circle of gamers.
The Community guys, in turn, run back to their respective sites, message boards, blogs and praise the EA gods for building a hardcore sim we can all get behind.

But the minute those community guys leave, they change the game back to what the masses would like.

I can't express how excited I was for Fight Night when I first got my hands on it.
I came to these boards singing their praises.
Then the game was released and I had egg all over my face.

The game I played, the jabs and crosses were awesome. You couldn't just wade in and throw punches with abandon. A good jab could keep you at bay, and a flushly landed cross would put you on queer street or keep you honest.
But the retail version dumbed down both punches so they were essentially ineffectual.

I hope I'm wrong about NHL17.
But I've heard this song before.

Thanks for the posts guys.


As for this post..
I feel your pain and honestly, if this will b my experience with Nhl 17, I will come here and say U were right. And yeah, I will leave Gamechangers group.

Thats my promise.

But at this moment and after my personal experience with the devs at Eas office and especially with Ben Ross, I really do believe him. He' s such a passionate and smart hockey guy. He looks like a great human being too.

I will go into little more details why I feel this way later, but at this time I really believe he' s our man!

[MizzouRah]

Re: Gamechanger event #1 (very early impressions)

Thanks DJ NEO.. at least it's a glimmer of hope.

Maybe BeaGM should have it's own tuner?

[Money99]

Re: Gamechanger event #1 (very early impressions)

Thanks for the posts guys.


As for this post..
I feel your pain and honestly, if this will b my experience with Nhl 17, I will come here and say U were right. And yeah, I will leave Gamechangers group.

Thats my promise.

But at this moment and after my personal experience with the devs at Eas office and especially with Ben Ross, I really do believe him. He' s such a passionate and smart hockey guy. He looks like a great human being too.

I will go into little more details why I feel this way later, but at this time I really believe he' s our man!

[AdamJones113]

Re: Gamechanger event #1 (very early impressions)

Just out of curiosity what are you basing your optimism on that NHL 17 is going to be great? I took a look at the packet of suggestions, to be honest, I stopped when I read this, "NHL 16 is far and away the best EA Sports NHL title produced". Sorry to say, someone has to keep it real here, there is no credibility when you make a statement like this. Not looking to troll or stir the pot, just sharing my opinion.

I'm sorry, but this more than feels like a dig at me.

If you read my packet, great. If you read my packet up to that point alone, and then foolishly made the comment above, not so great. A few things to clarify.

1. I think you should actually read something fully before judging it. If you saw the TOC, you saw that my main complaints/suggestions came after the "in appreciation." Therefore you should most definitely have continued reading even if you saw something you didn't agree with.

2. That packet is my own creation and therefore my own opinion. It is not intended to represent all of OS: if I thought I could do that, I would have thrown my hat into the ring to be a GC. The packet being my own personal opinion means that I can write my sentiments, good or bad.

3. This packet was written while playing with the out of the box tuner, which made the gameplay "far and away" the best the series has seen so far. If you've read the forum recently, I've been less than complimentary (on and off) of recent tuners.

[jake19ny]

Re: Gamechanger event #1 (very early impressions)

Wether or not someone thinks this game is great or terrible is their personal opinion and that's all we can really do. Not sure why some people feel that their opinion is the only one that counts and if you don't agree you have "no credibility". Adams packet is a constructive breakdown of the game and points out positive and negative aspects of the game. Yes they are his opinion but an opinion shared by many of us. Your entitled to yours as well but not sure what any of that had to do with the Gamechangers event.

On another note, thanks DJ Neo for keeping us in the loop. It does give comfort having someone there that is a true sim guy like us. Wether or not they take your advice or deliver on what they tell you is out if your control but we can only hope. While not perfect by any stretch I'm enjoying NHL16 now and do feel that EA made a better effort to listen to the masses. As far as people saying they heard all this last year too, remember the Gamechangers event last year focused almost only on EASHL. This year they have promised to look at the other areas of the game. Look forward to hearing more.

[mikeyflex]

Re: Gamechanger event #1 (very early impressions)

I'm sorry, but this more than feels like a dig at me.

If you read my packet, great. If you read my packet up to that point alone, and then foolishly made the comment above, not so great. A few things to clarify.

1. I think you should actually read something fully before judging it. If you saw the TOC, you saw that my main complaints/suggestions came after the "in appreciation." Therefore you should most definitely have continued reading even if you saw something you didn't agree with.

2. That packet is my own creation and therefore my own opinion. It is not intended to represent all of OS: if I thought I could do that, I would have thrown my hat into the ring to be a GC. The packet being my own personal opinion means that I can write my sentiments, good or bad.

3. This packet was written while playing with the out of the box tuner, which made the gameplay "far and away" the best the series has seen so far. If you've read the forum recently, I've been less than complimentary (on and off) of recent tuners.

Well I admire your time and effort putting this together. Unfortunately the game and the developers have been taking a great deal of heat over the flawed broken game. You can certainly ignore my critique, having said that when I lay out 60 bucks for a broken game and add to the fact the customer service is garbage, I'm certainly within my right to state my opinion as a paying customer.

Obviously, as I've stated, I stopped reading this after the comment I stated above simply because I can't take anyone serious who pays this poor excuse of hockey game a complement.

Of course you can simply ignore my comments. But remember this next time EA pumps their chest on social media and look at all the feedback/comments from their customers, its overwhelmingly negative. The sentiments are clear, this game sucks, the customer service sucks, the developers suck and anyone who has anything to do with this game should be embarrassed.

So I ask again with all due respect and not to take a "dig" at you but to hopefully get some constructive feedback, what evidence leads you to believe that NHL 17 will be better (paraphrasing)?

[jake19ny]

Re: Gamechanger event #1 (very early impressions)

Well I admire your time and effort putting this together. Unfortunately the game and the developers have been taking a great deal of heat over the flawed broken game. You can certainly ignore my critique, having said that when I lay out 60 bucks for a broken game and add to the fact the customer service is garbage, I'm certainly within my right to state my opinion as a paying customer.

Obviously, as I've stated, I stopped reading this after the comment I stated above simply because I can't take anyone serious who pays this poor excuse of hockey game a complement.

Of course you can simply ignore my comments. But remember this next time EA pumps their chest on social media and look at all the feedback/comments from their customers, its overwhelmingly negative. The sentiments are clear, this game sucks, the customer service sucks, the developers suck and anyone who has anything to do with this game should be embarrassed.

So I ask again with all due respect and not to take a "dig" at you but to hopefully get some constructive feedback, what evidence leads you to believe that NHL 17 will be better (paraphrasing)?

For the most part this doesn't even warrant a response. It offers nothing constructive to the thread at hand. Clearly you have made up your mind about people who enjoy the game, the game itself, EA, and NHL17 so it begs the question of why bother posting in here at all? Just move on....