NHL 2K6 Impressions

Boom · Post by **Boom** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 8:34 pm

I've recently sold all things videogames except for NCAA 06, Madden NFL 06 and ESPN NFL 2K5 and my PS2 of course.

Anyway, picked up NHL and NBA 2K6's.

What's the most recent slider sets everyone's using?

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 9:09 pm

I switch between Leebo's basic tweaks and the various slider sets that Venom continues to tweak on a regular basis. Neither are as brilliant as Grog's for NHL 2K5, but both are good.

I just need to mess about a bit with both and settle on one before I start my Oilers' season. Plus I want to see a few regular-season games to see how the game really is played in the "new NHL" before I make a choice.

I watched the first two periods of the Rangers-Isles tonight, the first preseason action I've seen, and the game is flowing faster than it has in the past. Lots of penalties, too! But still plenty of hitting and dicking around in the neutral zone -- it's not constant end to end like some have predicted. Then again, it was the Isles and the Rangers. Both of those teams didn't look quality at all, especially the Rangers.

I'm in the midst of compiling a table showing the settings in various categories for Sim default, Leebo's and Venom's four slider sets. It's a pretty handy reference for when you're tweaking with sliders.

The chart should be done by the weekend. Anyone who wants it can send me a PM with your e-mail, and I'll send it to you.

Take care,
PK

ddtrane · Post by **ddtrane** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 3:25 am

I've finally decided to chime in on this topic. This game is like Madden on ice. I mean with the training modes and the party games, this title never gets old. I find myself loving this one more and more. I feel like I cheated 2K sports by only paying $20.

The game is very close to WE8 as for a sports title. I'm sorry if thats wrong to say, but I feel this game has everything most sports games should have.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 1:22 pm

It's smooth as silk. I've been playing switching between PRO & ALL STARS to see if the CPU would score more or the D plays tougher. Close games so far with my Offense upped all the way to 8 and the CPU's D 9 slides to the right. Speed at 2 is ideal, I just wished more penalties would be called in the game as it's been in the preseason, and sure will continued to be called in the regular season.

BasketballJones · Post by **BasketballJones** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 8:36 pm

10spro wrote:I just wished more penalties would be called in the game as it's been in the preseason, and sure will continued to be called in the regular season.

My only gripe is I can't get on the powerplay enough. My computer players take their share of penaltys. I first set the computers strategy and roughness, assign linematchups for hometeams to get the bad boys to matchup. I then click my team. I've gone back to check before I start and it holds true. (Incidently France strategy doesn't play defense). After only one game I got two players knocked out each for 1 period, but only one powerplay. I drew the penalty by hanging onto the puck. Naturally I loose possession ragging the puck. Try that approach see what happens.

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 8:30 am

I have been playing this now for about 3 weeks and started a Red Wings season. I am using Venom's sliders and have been getting great games. On All-Star I am 3-4-0-1 and have had very competitive games. Some 3-2 games, some 6-3 games.

I do believe I have to up a few penalty sliders, especially interference, as there doesn't seem to be the right amount of calls.

I love the control of the players and the skating backwards with the puck is a thing of beauty. The goalies are very realistic this year. I have seen some stand on their head and I have seen some very bad goals get by. The mix is nice. I have seen just about every type of goal scored.

There is one thing that seems to crop up too often and that is the wrap around goal for the CPU. He takes it from behind the net and it hugs the outer, bottom portion of the net, around and in. It seems to be 50-50 right now that the CPU will score using this and that just seems to high.

I know alot will say just to play better defense and that is true. I am really going to have to concentrate when the CPU has the puck behind the net.

All in all though, if that is my only real complaint, I am a very happy hockey player right now and can see myself playing this for quite a while. For all of the crappy games I have paid $40 and $50 for, this is just an incredible steal at $20. Great game.

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 9:52 am

Pete wrote:I have been playing this now for about 3 weeks and started a Red Wings season. I am using Venom's sliders and have been getting great games. On All-Star I am 3-4-0-1 and have had very competitive games. Some 3-2 games, some 6-3 games.

I do believe I have to up a few penalty sliders, especially interference, as there doesn't seem to be the right amount of calls.

I love the control of the players and the skating backwards with the puck is a thing of beauty. The goalies are very realistic this year. I have seen some stand on their head and I have seen some very bad goals get by. The mix is nice. I have seen just about every type of goal scored.

There is one thing that seems to crop up too often and that is the wrap around goal for the CPU. He takes it from behind the net and it hugs the outer, bottom portion of the net, around and in. It seems to be 50-50 right now that the CPU will score using this and that just seems to high.

I know alot will say just to play better defense and that is true. I am really going to have to concentrate when the CPU has the puck behind the net.

All in all though, if that is my only real complaint, I am a very happy hockey player right now and can see myself playing this for quite a while. For all of the crappy games I have paid $40 and $50 for, this is just an incredible steal at $20. Great game.

I haven't really been able to dig into this one much yet, where did you find those sliders?

Thanks,

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 10:06 am

I am just in love with this game. My wife was out for a bit yesterday and I brought my xbox down to the big 42" HD TV and I was in hockey heaven! I played about 6 games in a row in my season as the Panthers and this game is reaching "WE-like" status for me. Every game fee's 'fresh" and unscripted. The goal variety is great and the gameplay is rock solid.

Anyone ever play on the "side-high" view in HD on a big screen TV? It feels like you are at the game in person, but controlling your team. I just love that view!

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 10:24 am

With another recent purge of my library to help cover the cost of NHL Center Ice, I now own exactly one team sports game: NHL 2K6.

It's the only team sports game I've wanted to play for the last month, and I can't recall another team sports game having a similar grip on me, even Winning Eleven. I never tire of NHL 2K6 and have played as many as six or seven games in one night.

NHL 2K6 is the shiznit, as they say!

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 10:29 am

P.S. to JackB1: What are you using for sliders these days? I keep alternating between Pro and All-Star sets that I've developed, mainly based on what Leebo did by making minimal tweaks to the Sim defaults, and a couple of other slider sets floating around out there.

I tried Venom's set, but something just didn't feel quite right. They felt too much like the "old NHL," and I didn't find the goal variety or enough goals. I had way too many 2-1 games with Venom's, and the average total goals per game early this season is around six in the "new NHL."

Venom's sliders are great -- if you want the "old NHL." I think they make this game feel a lot like ESPN NHL 2K4 or NHL 2K5. Not a bad thing, but not a realistic re-creation of this season's game. I don't want the no-checking defensemen and the "I'm 6 feet from the crease, let's take a 100-mph slapshot" forwards of NHL 06, either.

I want to nail the sliders of this amazing game as well as Grog did last year with his sliders, so I'm still searching. Either way, I dig this game very much.

Take care,
PK

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 11:28 am

pk500 wrote:P.S. to JackB1: What are you using for sliders these days?

I play on "Pro" (better goal variety) and started with the "Sim" sliders and just tweaked the penalties a little myself. Not much else needed. Playing on a speed of 3 clicks from the left.

wabash97 · Post by **wabash97** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 9:56 am

Pk,

If you get a chance, I'd be interested in those settings you're using.
I think I've slipped into the downward slider spiral - constantly tweaking, constantly checking 2khockey.net to read the latest theory on puck retention's effect on CPU cycling, overanalyzing every trip up and down the ice - to the point that I need to step back, try a set unrelated to the one I've been using, and enjoy the game for what it is: the best hockey game I've played (tweaked).

B

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 12:26 pm

Here is a great site for updates to NHL2K6. Great rosters, etc.
http://www.2khockey.net/

As far as sliders, I have been using Pengman's (see link below) on All Star. I'm getting very nice games...like the new NHL. Give them a shot.
http://www.2khockey.net/forums/index.ph ... 12982&st=0

wabash97 · Post by **wabash97** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 1:05 pm

I've been using a mix of Venom and Pengman (too little defensive aggression for me with Pengman's - I'm hoping sometime in the next few months the hitting and defensive part of the game returns to the NHL). I haven't tried dropping offensive and defensive to 0. It's working well for you even with those sliders bottomed-out?

B

BasketballJones · Post by **BasketballJones** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 6:07 pm

I'm beginning to see a bit more clean hitting. I caught part of the Rangers- Panthers game on OLN, and Kaspar laid out a few clean checks. Unfortunately the Pens still don't get.

As far as sliders for the 2K6 go I'm still not getting on the powerplay enough compared to being short handed. I attempted playing with momentum off and sliders the same and I noticed a total drop in all penaltys. I'm playing as Pittsburgh and judging by the current real Pens season this may be a case of art imitating life.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 7:55 pm

Diablo25 wrote:Here is a great site for updates to NHL2K6. Great rosters, etc.
http://www.2khockey.net/

As far as sliders, I have been using Pengman's (see link below) on All Star. I'm getting very nice games...like the new NHL. Give them a shot.
http://www.2khockey.net/forums/index.ph ... 12982&st=0

Well after using those rosters/sliders for one game...I'm not terribly impressed. I won 9-2 w/ the Coyotes over Vancouver and I outshot them 61-30. Something is wrong there...the goalie was just too easy to beat. He stayed down low way too long and I just shelved pretty much every goal. Hopefully it will improve w/ more games...obviously this is only one game so it could be a bad example overall.

kicko · Post by **kicko** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 11:52 am

dbdynsty25 wrote:
Diablo25 wrote:Here is a great site for updates to NHL2K6. Great rosters, etc.
http://www.2khockey.net/

As far as sliders, I have been using Pengman's (see link below) on All Star. I'm getting very nice games...like the new NHL. Give them a shot.
http://www.2khockey.net/forums/index.ph ... 12982&st=0
Well after using those rosters/sliders for one game...I'm not terribly impressed. I won 9-2 w/ the Coyotes over Vancouver and I outshot them 61-30. Something is wrong there...the goalie was just too easy to beat. He stayed down low way too long and I just shelved pretty much every goal. Hopefully it will improve w/ more games...obviously this is only one game so it could be a bad example overall.

I have some sliders that are working pretty well with stats, i just have to figure what the numbers are and i'll post them.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 12:05 pm

The one slider that needs to be adjusted for realism's sake is shot accuracy. Both the human and CPU are too accurate at the default, leading to an unrealistic number of shots on goal.

When you watch an NHL game, I'd say three of every 10 shots, if not more, are wide or high of the net. I maybe see three or four missed shots per game in NHL 2K6.

I'm messing with this slider but haven't found a happy medium yet.

Take care,
PK

Sully · Post by **Sully** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 12:08 pm

pk500 wrote:The one slider that needs to be adjusted for realism's sake is shot accuracy. Both the human and CPU are too accurate at the default, leading to an unrealistic number of shots on goal.

When you watch an NHL game, I'd say three of every 10 shots, if not more, are wide or high of the net. I maybe see three or four missed shots per game in NHL 2K6.

I'm messing with this slider but haven't found a happy medium yet.

Take care,
PK

I also suggest lowering the pass/aim assist slider to "0".

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 12:20 pm

Sully wrote:I also suggest lowering the pass/aim assist slider to "0".

Sully:

I've tried this, but I've found it to be unrealistic, for two reasons.

One, NHL players almost always put passes tape to tape. When I have pass aim assist set to 0, there always are four or five passes per game that don't go anywhere near where I have the left stick pointed. It's almost as if the game's logic says, "We're going to make four or five passes completely illogical per game if you have the assist set to 0."

Problem is, a lot of those passes lead to inane turnovers and easy scoring attempts for the CPU.

The other problem is that I never can pass better than 70 percent or so with the pass aim assist at 0 while the CPU's pass completion will remain at 80 to 85 percent per game, which I think is a realistic number. Sure, part of that is just a lack of passing skill by me, but some of those inane, seemingly predetermined passes with the aim assist set at 0 drop my passing percentage.

Take care,
PK

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 12:26 pm

Out of curiousity, what is the passing percentage completion average in the NHL? Is it actually a stat that is tracked?

kicko · Post by **kicko** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 3:36 pm

pk500 wrote:The one slider that needs to be adjusted for realism's sake is shot accuracy. Both the human and CPU are too accurate at the default, leading to an unrealistic number of shots on goal.

When you watch an NHL game, I'd say three of every 10 shots, if not more, are wide or high of the net. I maybe see three or four missed shots per game in NHL 2K6.

I'm messing with this slider but haven't found a happy medium yet.

Take care,
PK

what # of shots do you get per game?

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 3:46 pm

kicko wrote:
pk500 wrote:The one slider that needs to be adjusted for realism's sake is shot accuracy. Both the human and CPU are too accurate at the default, leading to an unrealistic number of shots on goal.

When you watch an NHL game, I'd say three of every 10 shots, if not more, are wide or high of the net. I maybe see three or four missed shots per game in NHL 2K6.

I'm messing with this slider but haven't found a happy medium yet.

Take care,
PK
what # of shots do you get per game?

Between 25 and 35 per team, which is about the NHL average. These posts at other forums in which guys claim 40-50 shots per team per game is average now because of the new rules make me snicker.

Either those cats don't watch much hockey or read many box scores in the morning paper.

Take care,
PK

kicko · Post by **kicko** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 7:10 pm

thats the same that i get, if i get a chance thisweekend i'll do the math on my sliders

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 11:11 am

Still having a blast with this game. I'm 1-2 in the early going with the Blues. I'm thinking it's going to be quite difficult to stay around 500.

Quick question. Is there a workaround the face off bug? Seriously, I get that bug at least 2-3 times a game. It's quite annoying.