Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2014 16:01:05 GMT -5
Said it before and I’ll say it again: FHL SIM hockey is head and shoulders above any other hockey SIM I’ve ever seen or been a part of and I’m thrilled to be a member. If there is one thing I that I have observed, it is how the game engine apparently values and handles “superstar” skill VS pick n shovel hockey. While Canada’s Gold Medal Championship team was loaded with firepower, it was their ability to contain the opposition that led to their success. Their defensive strategy was a stroke of absolute genius. Three goals against in 5 games??? Unreal… I like shutdown-type players. I like two-way players. I also like high end talent. I think a successful team shouldn’t necessarily be one with the most big guns on the roster, but more so one that can engineer a nice balance between game-breaking skill and the ability to counter your opponent by dominating them in other areas. What real value does a Tim Gleason have in this league? He can level guys, block shots, and clear the crease, but he doesn’t put pucks in the net too often. Troy Bodie is one hell of a forechecker, and again, while he may not light the lamp too often, he sure makes it tough on the opposition to do so. Are the contributions of guys like Gleason, Bodie, etc. accurately reflected in the game results?
I would be happy to see the engine put a tad more emphasis on a team’s ability to shut down the opposition, and perhaps fine-tune the 50-50 battles and scrums along the boards accordingly. At times, I think the emphasis on straight up firepower is a touch lopsided. Being able to dangle and dispy doodle is wonderful, but you need team balance in real life hockey in order to go the distance. I’d like to see the FHL experience become a touch more realistic in that regard. Opinions?
|
|
|
|
Post by Mike - Montreal on Feb 23, 2014 17:17:15 GMT -5
I will agree with this. When I got into this league a couple seasons ago, I wanted to build a team that mimicked a real NHL squad - top two lines of skill players and bottom two lines of checkers/grinders. What I discovered that hitting doesn't factor in too much and I have wound up getting killed by penalties. This led to me barely making the playoffs last year and likely not getting close this year. A fellow manager pointed out the error of my ways and it seems he's right - he's been consistently among the top teams since joining. Ditching the grinders for skill players seems to be way to get ahead in the FHL.
|
|
|
|
Post by Alex-Edmonton on Feb 23, 2014 21:44:51 GMT -5
The most interesting part for me is that at the start most of what I inherited was grinders. So that would explain my demise...lol
|
|
|
|
Post by Phil-Cornwall on Feb 24, 2014 1:09:24 GMT -5
The problem is not with 'grinders' or tough guys or even hitters....all those aspects DO work for us here in the FHL.
The problem youse guys have is that your player defense for those guys is low- under 20 sometimes as low as 12 or 14.
My 3rd and 4th line are all 'grinders' / hitters and PK guys except for Butler but their defense is all over 30 except for Jackman.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2014 5:33:40 GMT -5
The problem is not with 'grinders' or tough guys or even hitters....all those aspects DO work for us here in the FHL. The problem youse guys have is that your player defense for those guys is low- under 20 sometimes as low as 12 or 14. My 3rd and 4th line are all 'grinders' / hitters and PK guys except for Butler but their defense is all over 30 except for Jackman. Not at all the case. My current 3rd line consists of Hamilton (28 D) Crombeen (31 D) and Daugavins (24 D). Daugavins is in because I lost Penner and have had to do some juggling. Still my avg D rating is well above what you are suggesting. 4th line guys average under 5 minutes a night, generally matching up against the opposing teams' 4th line, due to the fact that we aren't (yet) able to execute a custom line matching strategy. MY 4th line isnt losing games for me. And it's not all about PIMS either. Crombeen has an 8 PIMS rating but he sits less than a minute a game on average. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2014 5:58:11 GMT -5
HAL 24
QUE 10
THB 0
Those are the "toughness" scores for the top 3 teams in the league. While toughness and shutdown are not necessarily synonymous with one another, the correlation here is pretty obvious...a team with ZERO toughness, regardless of skill, should leave the rink in body bags, not with 2 points.
|
|
|
|
Post by Glenn-Philadelphia on Feb 24, 2014 6:56:40 GMT -5
I needed to check to be sure but as expected sal has no one in his current lineup and this is why his toughness is zero. Granted he does field a team of Brian Boitanos however even his team toughness is greater than zero.
I think Phil was referring to your wingers on your third and fourth lines having poor def reive scores.
I will comment more when not typing this out on the iPhone in the carpool on the way to work.
|
|
