Here is the 8th installment of the developer Q & A for NHL 16 EA via their Ask EA NHL page. There are already some great questions and answers as well as some additional feature information on the NHL 16 demo, GM Modes & More. Checkout the questions and answers below.
Will there be the 3 stars at the end of the game?
We do have the three stars selected after a game but there will not be a sequence showing the 3 stars of the game coming out to salute the fans.
Do the San Jose Sharks have their Stadium Series jersey in this game?
The San Jose Sharks Stadium Series jersey will be in NHL 16.
In long-term GM modes, I always find that the a lot of the computer generated players in the 2018+ drafts have the same last name. Any efforts to fix this? I have four Arkatov’s on my team and it’s quite confusing.
Hi Dane, we do have a large database of names for the different countries. I will look into the distribution of the names and see what we can do in the future.
Will there be fan interactions in playoffs, like hankies being waved and the white out in Winnipeg?
Yes, teams that have towels in the stands will have them in NHL 16 and we have done our best to get all the colors correct as well. The white out will be represented in Winnipeg and you will also see other teams that are known for giving out t-shirts to their crowd.
Will I be able to customize the goalie gear?
Yes both what brands you select and the colors region by region.
Will the control of goalies emphasize good positioning, rather than reflexes? It seemed like in previous installments that you would cheat slightly, stay low in your crease, have a big goaltender and simply move side-to-side. When I tried to use the technique I use on the ice I found that I was punished for moving into shots, not rewarded. Have you tried to replicate the NHL style of today?
In NHL 16 the aim this year was to build a system that didn’t limit your ability to get to where you wanted but to make you accountable for that momentum. If you start to go one way and quickly change your mind, your goalie will have to recoil rather than just play a straight butterfly push. You can also take either small strides or larger T-Pushes from set depending on how far you want to go in the crease. We have added the ability to move into/with a save as you mention which works well when you are moving across to make a save. We have tried to eliminate the feeling of being ‘stuck’ when a save starts as that was something people often commented about with the old system.
Will we get new visors such as the Oakley Aviator and straight cuts? Also, new more realistic sock tucks and the option to pick the brand of pants/girdles.
In NHL 16 we have added a few new visor styles to help add authenticity to star players we couldn’t capture before. You can’t brand pants for this year. The sock tucks in style are what we have had in the game before but the textures were reworked to look more authentic to the current way the socks look over shin pads/skates. We have added different sock tape styles (which you can change the material and color of tape for as well).
Can I adjust my players hair length? I want long golden hair flowing in the breeze as zip past the defenseman and ultimately score.
Don’t we all. Unfortunately for NHL 16, that won’t be an option in Create Player. We do have over 200 new heads to pick from when you customize your player though. Some of them may have something close to the hair style you are after.
Will the Goaltender Interference penalties be fixed in NHL 16?
We have done work against both goaltender and player on player interference. We have also added the ability to call off a goal due to interference without having to hand out a penalty.
Is there going to be a demo?
We will not have a traditional demo this year. Instead, we will be launching our first ever EA SPORTS Hockey League Beta on July 30 for NHL 15 owners. We prioritized a Beta over a Demo because we wanted our fans to go deep with the mode and give us early feedback so we can continue to refine and improve the experience. For more information on the EASHL Beta visit the EASHL Hub. For fans of Be a Pro, Be a GM, and Hockey Ultimate Team there is more information about those modes within the beta and we will provide deeper dives for those modes at a later date.
Are there going to be more free content updates after launch this year?
Yes, fans can expect even more from NHL 16 after launch. While we’re incredibly proud of what’s in the game this year – with new gameplay balance and added depth across the most played single player and team modes – we’re just as excited about keeping your experience fresh and exciting with free content updates after the game ships.