NHL Be A Pro Goalie help [ Edited ]

[krisgt30]

I figured I would make a post here since I am several seasons deep in live the life, with my goalie I created, and cant seem to put together solid numbers without simming through games. Any advice/input would be greatly appreciated.

I have tried using tactics from actually playing net in real life (maintaining squae position, challenging, hugging posts when play is in corners and have seen very limited success)

If anyone can provide any pointers that would be greatly appreciated. I have tried playing in several difficulties and even created custom difficulty levels dropping CPU AI sliders all the way down and human sliders all the way up and still cant crack 90+ Save% let alone shutouts. 

In the last NHL release, it was fairly easy to win these games as long as you maintained a square position your goalie would make most of the saves for you. Now I have noticed that strategy hardly works. Here are my finds utilizing all the different real life goalie tactics during live the life game play.

Staying deep in the net and playing butterfly (Lundqvist style) during sustained pressure in the defensive zone. Most low shots and mid level shots are stopped, however any shots high, even from the point and they are in the net. Staying deep is a recipe for disaster for deflections as well as any goalie knows that. Also, rebounds are a given on the low shots, even when pressing triangle to try to cover up. I have seen a little bit more success challenging far out, one foot out of the crease from shots from the point, or even getting as close to the screening forward as possible(deflection prevention 101).  However, if a rebound occurs, you are toast as you are several feet away from the goal line. Lose lose here.

One timers, spread eagle saves on dot to dot one timers stop only 50% of the one timers because it leaves your 5 hole gaping. I have seen more success stacking the pads on these situations. However, rebounds are once again killing me in these situations. 

Wrap arounds, Hugging the post is successful at stopping those high and tight wrap arounds, and the kneeling is successful at stopping those quick low wrap arounds. However even stacking the pads isnt enough to stop the wrap arounds in which the forward wraps around, and fades towards the slot for a quick shot high.

These are the problems making my rated 99 goalie seem like a sieve. On open clear shots is really the only time I see the goalie making nice saves, even on snipers. Even if there is something in the settings that i missed, feel free to post here. 

[ducksfan08]

I have the same issues.  The first year that BAP allowed goalies, I had fun playing my goalie.  After that, even with all their tweaks to make them better, you simply get scored on too often to have any fun or try to be a great goalie.  It isn't the goalie's that need tweaking, it's the offensive AI.  They don't take bad shots.  They only take great low slot one timers or the nice dot-to-dot's you talk about.  So, even if you win and only let in 1-2 goals, your save percentage is horrible because the other team only took like 10 shots.  This year, with the "cheating" feature they've added to goalies, it's near impossible to block anything.  I've always felt they need to have sliders or something to adjust goalie tendencies to match my player with my style.  I also play goalie in real life and don't like how they work in BAP or the new Live the Life.  They don't react fast enough or accurately enough.  Guys skate right in front of me on a wrap around and by the time I push the button for a poke and the game responds, I'm being scored on high to my blocker side.  What EA needs to do is make the CPU take bad shots.  Lower the AI's "hockey smarts" so that guys take bad shots and low scoring percentage shots.  That would help.  Otherwise, I just keep playing GM mode or making a D-man and playing that.  Goalie mode is just too hard because the reaction time is critical and the game doesn't replicate that well enough.

[krisgt30]

They do have sliders for cpu shot power and accuracy, however it does not appear to make a difference. Having to hold multiple buttons to make a desperation/spread eagle save are ridiculous. It eliminates the possibility of having great reaction time. Only using the ps3 eye or xbox kinect can make the goalie experience realistic. No remote operation can cut it.

[gideonwolf]

I play on 360 and its the same issue. Playing square to the shooter and challenging the point shots is the only way to stop them. At times it seems like the puck travels straight thru you, like when you are hugging the post and the puck goes in between you and the post. Then there are the times you cover up and the CPU player still takes the puck away and scores (I have instant replayed and the puck is not visible until it magically appears in the players stick).
Then there is the XP. To get decent XP, you pretty much can only play part of the game or sim it entirely. If summing do game by game not to date. Playing the entire game is a great recipe for frustration induced baldness. If more than 3 goals go in and you win you still get minimal or nil XP. If you lose, unless its a 1-0 game and you stop 30+ shots, you won't get much XP either, (lucky to get any). It really discourages you from playing goal, which could be a lot of fun otherwise.

[gideonwolf]

That would be awesome if you could goalie with kinect, and it would be a great work out too I bet!

[gideonwolf]

In regards to the sliders, lowering the AI accuracy just means that only 1 in 3 shots taken are actually shots, the rest go wide or hit the post.
I've found the best way to improve your goalie and have a chance at a decent season is to start on an ohl team (can start at age 15) sim your first 2 seasons (game by game) to get a good amount of XP then build up your stats and play your last season thru to the draft.

[JFLuyken]

Well one thing that would help is for ea to simply lower the requirements to progress your goalie. Just to get to amateur 2 you have to put up a save percentage of 90%. Hey EA Sports, look at the leaderboards and tell me how many people in otp or eashl have over a 90% save percentage. It's silly to think we can do it against the AI. If you pull the sliders all the way doe it doesn't just affect your opponents AI it affects your team as well. This makes the game mode an unplayable experience. I love playing goalie but it's very disappointing to see how impossible it is to play my goalie in live the life.

Also why don't you incorporate otp games in the hockey shop unlocks. It's either live the life or eashl. It would be appreciated.

[windstorm690]

You can't fix it. No matter what team your o the AI forwards always suck. My goalie is overall 97 and we lose every game 2-0 so I just quit cause our record for pitsurgh penguins is 3-27-4

[killhoke]

Hi i got the same issue and on more then one occasion in the first pre season game even if we win if i let just one goal in they send me down now I'm no pro but I'm pretty sure that the NHL wont sen a * goalie down to the minners for letting one * goal in one thing is for sure whatever * made this game dose not know * about hockey

[DJayRoxU]

sometimes im positioned right in slot on butterfly and it should be save but my goalie dosen do anything or if i do slide save it reacts slow but when i do same on practice with exact same stats on practice with same goalie and stats it works fine, and in one timers i know where it is going i try to move but goalie is stuck, another problem is when close and dropping to butterfly my goalie moves on its own