NHL 20: Content Update - December 5th

Hey NHLGamers,

On the 5th of December EA released the third update for NHL 20. Unlike the content updates before it, this one looks to explicitly tweak gameplay mechanics, with backskating facing the brunt of their ire.  

Aside from backskating receiving a potentially substantial nerf, EA claim to have updated their physics interactions with goalies, as well as fixing the zone camera. Furthermore, in EASHL it should now properly show a player's position when they're being highlighted in a replay, as opposed to being listed as center regardless of their actual position. 

In addition to this, players will now have the option to have Snoop Dogg as a guest commentator alongside James Cybulski, replacing Ray Ferraro. 

For the full changelog, please see below.

Quote

 

- We have updated the skate model so that players lose more speed when disrupting their core balance/weight distribution when by pivoting over and over. This year we had already removed the ability to accelerate during parts of a pivot that a player shouldn’t be able to but players that were spamming pivot weren’t losing as much skating speed as they should considering what the responsiveness allows them to do.

- Puck carriers pivot speeds will be impacted by trying to pivot at high speeds to simulate what they would need to do to keep control of the puck

We believe these are agreed upon, community friendly changes that will benefit gameplay without shaking things up too drastically.

In terms of the potential adjustments we’re looking to make, they to revolve around pivoting but are a bit more harsh than what was shown above:

- We may add the ability for players to lose the puck if they try to pivot at higher speeds with less control.

- When puck loss is active, we have the ability for players to increase their chance of keeping the puck into a pivot if they increase control by gliding.

We are continuing to monitor feedback around these potential changes so please let us know what your thoughts are in the comments or on social.

Thank you for the continued feedback and now here are the Content Update notes:

General
- Restricted directional toe drags to when a skater is moving forwards
- Improved player switching cases when a teammate has been injured
- Fixed a rare issue where tall players were unable to receive passes consistently (This would have been seen the most on D to D passes to stationary players pivoting to face the net)
-Fixed physics updates with goaltenders.

AI
- Improved ability for Weakside defender to stay with their check on the rush

Skating
- If players continually pivot, their skating will be impacted more realistically
- Puck carriers pivot speeds will be impacted by trying to pivot at high speeds to simulate what they would need to do to keep control of the puck

Presentation
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- Added additional celebrations
- Various overlay fixes
- Fix for the Zone camera not working as intended
- Various environment camera clipping fixes

Game Modes
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Tournaments
- Added 2019 Spengler Cup tournament

HUT
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General
- HUT Team Abbreviation no longer displays in Pause Menu prior to puck drop

HUT Rivals
- Implemented a matchmaking cap for very high and very low Skill Ratings to improve the likelihood of these players finding games
- Fixed multiple display issues in the Ranks and Division screens
- Fixed an issue where Coin Items could not be redeemed if a player had 2,000 HUT Champions Points

Squad Battles
– Fixed an issue where expired Loan items displayed an incorrect contract length when viewing Opponent Squad

World of CHEL
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Content
- Customize Club – The 2019-20 Canucks logo has been added, and the 2018-19 Canucks Logo has been moved to the vintage section
- New content added to World of CHEL which is to be revealed through the Chel Challenge card. Tune in regularly to see what exciting new stuff you can earn

Fixes
- Fixed an MTU exploit in online modes
- Fixed an issue with the Instant Replay timeline not functioning prior to puck drop
- Fixed an issue where EASHL overlays show the player position as C

Art - Uniforms
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The following uniforms have been added to NHL 20

AHL
- Belleville Senators Away and Alternate
- Hartford Wolfpack Home, Away and Alternate
- Iowa Wild Alternate
- San Antonio Rampage Home and Away
- Stockton Heat Alternate

 

Source: EA