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EA Gives Hockey Fans a Virtual Season
se2schul writes "Although there is no NHL hockey this year because of the labour dispute, you can still look up scores. EA is simulating the 2004-05 NHL season using NHL 2005, made in the company's Vancouver studio. The irony won't be lost on long-suffering Maple Leafs fans: It's taken a lockout for Toronto to top the league."
Toronto has always topped the league during regular season games anyways. They suck in the playoffs.
I'm waiting for the day when things like this actually draw more attention that the real events would... It's going to happen eventually. Ok, maybe not. But this certainly has a niche audience that will insist on this to happen every season regardless of whether the real players want to play or not. It could also be an interesting test of the AI, stats, engine, and a whole host of other game components. You know you've made a great game when you simulate the season and it closely matches the real players.
"The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other bastard die for his." - Patton
Just this past Olympics, here in Chicago channel 7's sport's guy Mark Giangreco would use a Sony PS2 to playing an Olympic summer game on it, as to simulate the games going on in Athens.
Since it was ABC and they couldn't show any footage at all of the games due to copyright, they had the footage from the PS2 and Giangreco would do the voice over saying the scores and winners and losers.
It was pretty funny and I'm sure not the only place it happened in the country, but I only saw it in Chicago.
"Leo Fender was in a 'state of grace' when he designed the Stratocaster." -- Paul Reed Smith
a bunch of over the hill actresses over acting and intermitently panty and channeling shatner for their dramatic pauses while they get edgy in frank discussions about sex?
Oh how about the inevitable game four collapse of the red sox in a world series that is a horrificly ironic mirror image the championship series they just won. HAHAHAHA. God is just finding another more diabolical way to torture you.
Does the computer play itself or is it just simulating the game?
And I wish we could download and watch the games, EA's graphics are awsome.
Ash nazg durbatuluk, ash nazg gimbatul Ash nazg thrakatuluk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul
Remember around Christmas 2003 when the Leafs were on their huge winning streak? They were tops in the real life NHL as recently as then, and that wasn't that long ago! Besides.. RTFA.. the season is only 7 games in.
GO LEAFS GO!
If for the average of every 7 games a team has 2 ties, thats gonna be a lot of ties.
The hockey season in Toronto has been the following:
:)
The Leafs getting off to a good start early in the season. Hockey fans saying "The Leafs are gonna win it this year!"
The Leafs going on to a mediocre mid-season. Hockey fans saying "The Leafs are gonna win it this year!"
The Leafs picking it up big time toward the end of the season. Hockey fans saying "The Leafs are gonna win it this year!"
The Leafs win the first playoff game. Hockey fans saying "The Leafs are gonna win it this year!!"
The Leafs lose the second playoff game brutally. Hockey fans say "The Leafs could have won it this year if it weren't for that call by referee X in period Y."
It has been this way since 1967. Everyone here seems to ignore the fact that the last time the Leafs won the cup the NHL only had 6 teams.
If ever there were a real-life city-wide reality distortion field, it would be in Toronto when dealing with the Leafs.
I love this city so much, but the Leafs fans are something else
Strangely enough, the Blue Jays seem to get bashed all the time despite winning two world series in a row about a decade ago.
-- Speaking as neither a baseball nor a hockey fan. Take it as you will.
The article doesn't seem to mention it. G4Tech does virtual games of NHL 2005.
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
I was just thinking this morning that someone need to come out with a new hockey game this year where you play the owner or manager of a team and need to find players to fill the roster. Once you have a team together, you play a shortened season against the other managers and their new teams.
WhatifSports is also doing this. They are a website that simulates games in the major sports using historical real stats of players. (disclosure: I am not an owner of the site, just a frequent customer). They set up the season and are playing the games on the days they would have occurred. Seeing both, the Whatif model will be much truer to the real thing IMO.
B O R I N G
Just like the recent Red Wings, actually.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
If only the NHL players had thought to demand full season-of-play level royalties from EA Sports in the event that the actual season never happens!
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
This has already been covered
But G4Tech's version has daily hockey coverage with guest Luc Robataille. Not great, but much better than weekly updates in a newspaper.
R: That voice. Where have I heard that voice before? B: In about 365 other episodes. But I don't know who it is either.
The sad thing is, I am actually excited to even just pretend that games are happening and that I can read about who's leading in scoring and the rest of it. Damn you, Gary Bettman!
ummm, g4techTV is doing that for EA, they have a whole web site set up with some big name hockey stars calling the games.
obviously the mod has a mullet and a bobby orr poster aging on his wall....damn, no love.
"It'll destroy you if you try to make it mean anything to anyone but yourself." - Henry Rollins