EHM The Blue Line

Hi there nice to meet everyone! This is my first post. I actually have a question first regarding the SI Games forum. I tried to register there but when I tried to register they told me that my email was banned? I tried with both a Hotmail address and a Gmail address and got the same result. I also tried registering on their main webpage (apparently not for forum access) and I never even got an email from them! Does anyone know what teh problem is? Why is my address banned?

Anyways I just wanted to make a comment regarding the game view in NHL 2005. I started out with Football Manager 2005 and while that was fun, I really don't know anything about soccer. So this NHL version really is my cup of tea. With FM 2005 the thing I loved the most was watching my players play (and cursing them) with the game view option. I was looking forward to an equally exciting NHL game. Too my huge disappointment, I found that the NHL game view is horrible! The screen is a lot smaller, there's no "puck" and it's not smooth at all! The play jerks around from one area of the arena to the other and I really can't follow the play. I realize that hockey is a little bit faster than soccer but when I watch a game on tv it's nice and free flowing not a fast slideshow. I honestly don't know why they couldn't have left it exactly the same. Change the field to a rink take off 5 players from each team and left the player representations like little circles with their names underneath. Heck even a "ball sized" puck wouldnt really bother me that much-I just want to be able to see it move from one side of the rink to the other.

Does anyone else feel this way? Some input would be appreciated (especially on how I should go about registering on SI Games so that I can pose my questions directly to the developers.)

Welcome to the forums, Canuck!

Sorry to say, I don't know anything of this banning of email addresses at the SI forums, but regarding the game view, there's been a lot of discussion on it, and the thing is, it is not the same thing with football and hockey, the game physics are completely different so they had to start from scratch developing the 2D view for EHM 2005. This is only the second hockey management game they've made - the first one had no game view - so progress will be made on each new release.

Try to follow the game on the 2D we have, as you will most likely get used to it and by time you'll even like it. That's how it went down with me: first was dissappointment, as I had also been previously playing the football games, but after a while you get used to it, and the games can really be pretty exciting if you watch them in Show All Highlights mode.

Maybe next year, eh?

You're right, after watching my second and third game it's starting to catch on with me. It's still a little painful to watch compared to FM but at least I'm able to follow the play a little more easily.
I'm playing with the Maples Leafs right now and unfortunately I look like I'm going to become the next Harrold Ballard-this year's edition of the team is sucking horribly I'm afraid.

Canuck wrote:Hi there nice to meet everyone! This is my first post. I actually have a question first regarding the SI Games forum. I tried to register there but when I tried to register they told me that my email was banned? I tried with both a Hotmail address and a Gmail address and got the same result.

Welcome to the site
SI have prevented people from registering using free e-mail addresses (e.g. Hotmail, Yahoo and G-mail) in order to prevent people signing up multiple times (so-called 'alias' users). You need to use another e-mail address. Maybe you have an address that you got with you internet service provider or you have a school/university/work address? They should work.

Welcome Canuck!

The 'game view' is one of the areas where you can certainly see the difference in the EHM v FM development cycles. This is only the second SI version of EHM while there have been many years in the FM development cycle for them to be able to give the game a lot more 'polish'.

That said, this view is much impoved from the previous in which you just had a band of color that ran top to bottom and moved right to left showing where the play was. :-s I guess it is a matter of perspective, going form that view to this one is a big improvement.

I agree with the guys as well, once you get used ot the view you begin to 'see' the game much better. The puck actually is the colorization square around the numbers, that's why it looks odd sometimes id it is separate and the 'player's' are going after it. You may like the accent on that element I did in my Etched Steel and Whiteout skins. They're available in the downloads section...

It's true it isn't so easy to follow the game with this view but the game develops faster that FM. It's a remarkable change with the first EHM and let's hope we will have a good 2D engine on one of the later versions .