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Another NHL 2018 ROM


Sauce

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Hi everyone!  I’m a long-time lurker but would like to now see if I can be a contributor (of sorts).  I love NHL94…takes me way back to a fun time of sports video gaming.  Plus, 1994 holds special memories for long time (suffering) Rangers fans like me.  This is a wonderful site and appears to be a great community.  I want to say thanks to everyone who contributes as it helps folks, like me, with no hacking skills, develop custom ROMs.  Hat tip to Slapshot67/Skip and Naples39 for the awesome ROMs that they do for the current NHL seasons.  Both versions are awesome for different reasons.  That said, I have “lifted” Skip/Slapshot’s version and have been doing “tweaks” to it.  In the end, it’s a hybrid concept of theirs as well as Naples39 as it pulls some inspiration from both. 

Here’s what to expect from this file:

*31 NHL Teams.  The “WPG freeze bug” doesn’t occur IF you use Kega Fusion.  However, with Fusion, WSH, WPG and Team #32 all cycle player portraits but there is a weird error code that appears next to the image.  While it’s not the end of the world, I hope to one day fix it.  The “WPG freeze bug” does exist for some other emulators.

*32
nd
Team is the 2018 NHL Prospects.  So now, you can play as Dahlin, Svechnikov, Zadina, Tkachuk, Boqvist, Hayton, Hughes, etc.  I added all of the top-rated prospects for this year’s June draft.  I researched the prospects, online via multiple credible sources, to get some attribute insights.

*Several player portraits have been updated/replaced.  I may replace some more when time permits and my wife doesn’t get annoyed at me for putting in more time.  LOL

*Some NCL players have been updated/replaced, from how Skip/Slapshot67 had them.

*Goalie speed has been set to zero.  As such, they are significantly less likely to go into the trapezoid (while forwards are attacking) as they don’t have the speed to come back in time.  They are less spaz-like/aggressive out of the crease now.  Agility rating makes the goalies move quickly side to side (between the posts) and makes them more animated in the net.  I tested this many times and it feels more natural.  Well, as “natural” as the NHL 94 will allow.

*I edited just about every player (between 700-800 edits).  I did not base ratings on this year’s performance alone.  However, this year influenced said ratings.  The ratings are based on the last 3 years averaged out for players who played a minimum of 60 games/per.  For those who didn’t, I had a different methodology.  I used Hockey Forecaster, HockeyDB, Elite Prospects and HFBoards (each team’s page) for insight.  Plus, I used stat and analytics sites for insight as well.

*No goalies or Dmen in the 90s, for OVR rating, several in the 80s.  Only 3 forwards in the 90s.  You could probably guess who…again, no drop off in terms of production as it is more in line with the original game ratings.  So, in this ROM, 80 is the new 90.  90 OVR just means that you are the best in the world.  Using the scale of 0-6 I did avoid 6 for certain attributes like defense.  No one is higher than a 5 as it allows for some "human error" on the part of the CPU.

*Only 2 goalies per team (except for the prospects who have 3).  I felt it was a better use of a roster spot to have an extra forward and/or dman.  I wanted to get some noobs like Donato, Andersson, Gaudette, Middlestadt, etc. in the game.  Not all made it in but maybe one day…

*Lines are set using LeftWing Lock’s and Daily Faceoff’s websites.  They are not the most current but rather, the average for the year of which lines/D pairings were used the most per team.

*Some injured players are still active (Shattenkirk, Bouwmeester, Suter, Carlo, Thornton, Nash, etc.).  More fun that way.  Folks can change them if they want up-to-date.

*All shot/pass tendencies have been updated and play (mostly) accurate.  Same for checking tendency.

*Playoffs are based on 4 rotating scenarios.  I added the 2017 & 2018 brackets (as of 4/8/18).  There are also two fake/custom brackets that allow for teams that weren’t in the playoffs the last couple of years (CAR, BUF and ARZ) to have some opportunity as well as for those who maybe showed up once in the last few years (EDM and FLA). 

Anywho, sorry for the long post.  This is in no way meant to be competition to Naples39 or Slapshot67/Skip (or Coach Mac or any other folks).  I’m not interested in any such thing as I have big respect for what each does for the game/community.  I just wanted to add “another flavor to the menu.” 

If you download and notice any errors, please let me know.  I look forward to any and all feedback!

 

Game Title Screen - NHL18.jpg

Tonights Matchup.jpg

McDavid Scores.jpg

Playoffs.jpg

 

NHL94 2018 v3.1.zip

Edited by The Sauce
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Noticed one little thing that I wanted to change so I uploaded a new version of the BIN file.  Nothing worth reporting...just something I wanted changed.

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Nice job, @The Sauce !

Just played a quick Flyers/Pens match-up and everything plays as expected. I'm a fan of both ROMS from @skip and @naples39 . You offer a great alternative, and I appreciate the amount of time you've put into making it!

Looking forward to some more exhibitions using this ROM!

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Thanks @AdamWoodrow .  I appreciate the kind words.  I just uploaded the BIN file for a 3rd and now final time (LOL).  I made a couple more ratings tweaks but now realize that this could go on forever.  That said, I'm now done with this file.  Glad that you liked it!

Edited by The Sauce
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1 hour ago, The Sauce said:

I just uploaded the BIN file for a 3rd and now final time (LOL).  I made a couple more ratings tweaks but, That said, I'm now done with this file. 

First off nice job!

More people editing is good for the game.:big_smile:

#2 Good Luck being done!  I can already tell you are sick.

You will never be done.

Ratings will dance in your head all night!:grimace:

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1 hour ago, CoachMac said:

First off nice job!

More people editing is good for the game.:big_smile:

#2 Good Luck being done!  I can already tell you are sick.

You will never be done.

Ratings will dance in your head all night!:grimace:

Thanks @CoachMac  

And, you are correct sir...I am sick when it comes to this roster editing thing.  Too many "what if" moments.  But, I will be good for now. 

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For those interested, I re-uploaded the ROM as I just updated/cleaned-up some of the center ice logos.

*Cleaned up Carolina, Nashville, Vancouver, Vegas and Washington (as best I could).
*Added the correct center ice logos for LA and Minnesota.

No edits to players/ratings in this latest version.  Added v1.1 to file name.

Edited by The Sauce
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So, I updated this roster (now V1.2) to include some missing players who I noticed playing in the playoffs.  These include Greenway and Soucy for MIN, Fehr for SJ, Johnsson for TOR and Donato for Boston.  I didn't add them to the lines as I'll let those interested in having true playoff lines do so. 

I also lowered the OVR team ratings for all teams.  I noticed it does affect gameplay.  Scoring was up a slight bit in games that I played and simmed.  I based it around how the original/classic game was designed.  I also made all teams a 4 for OFF and DEF as well as "average" for PP and PK.  This way, it relies on player skill and who's hot or not for success or fail.

I also updated my 3-on-3 ROM to reflect these updates. 

Cheers!

Edited by The Sauce
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Hey everyone!

I just posted an updated 2018 ROM.

Thanks to @slapshot67, who patched it with the sprite/helmet patch, I was able to update all uniforms and helmets.  The latter is now correct per team.

I also refreshed all center ice logos, after I updated the uniforms/helmets, to ensure they remained as before (color-wise).

I re-patched the 3 Stars of the Game hack.  It was not working properly in my previous ROMs.  I have tested it several times and can confirm that it now works as intended.  See screenshots below.   In screenshot 1, Varlamov shutout the Preds 1-0.  Kerfoot had the lone goal.  In screenshot 2, Ovie had a hattrick (and Backstrom had two assists) and Dubois had the only goal for CBJ. 

All rosters/lines/ratings remain the same as the previous version.

This file has been renamed to be V2. 

I will update my 3-on-3 ROM over the next few days.  Once updated, I will post it in that thread..

3 Stars2.jpg

3 Stars.jpg

Edited by The Sauce
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Hello again!

I had some unforeseen free time and did some updates to this ROM.  I never liked the in-game timer logo (as I originally threw it together in a hurry).  So, I added a new one reminiscent of the original NHL94 game.  It's not the same logo but close.  Now, I don't have to worry about changing it year to year as it can work for any year.  :)

I cleaned up some more center ice logos as well as the scoreboard logo.

I also updated the goalie rating structure to be well, a tier structure.  Let's face it, goalie attribute editing (back then) was not as robust as it is today.  Furthermore, some of the attributes aren't 100% clear in terms of their overall impact on the game.  As goalies are the most streaky of players in the sport, I created a simple structure for determining overall rating that will allow me to slide guys up and down based on how they are doing in real life.  However, per my original post on this ROM, I didn't base their ratings on just this season alone.  Especially as some of the players may have had a bad year last year.  I take a 3 year average to determine where I think a player should be and then test the results/make tweaks.  However, this year certainly does factor in to some extent.  Anywho...the structure...

82 = Award Winning/Top 5 Type Goalies
77 = All-Star/Top 10 Type Goalies
72 = Star Goalies on the Rise or Decline
67 = Solid Starting Goalies/Not Quite Star Level
62 = Fringe Starter
57 = Solid Back-up
52 = AHLer

I only did the tier structure for goalies.  If anyone wants to see it via spreadsheet, hit me up, and I can PM it to you.  As always, feedback and/or discoveries are always welcome!

-cheers-

 

Edited by The Sauce
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So, I recently received some good feedback/suggestions from some folks that I know, and turned on to his great game.  I made some edits to skating speed and/or agility for many players...changed up some special teams...made a couple of jersey tweaks.  I also made it so none of the forwards have a D-awareness  rating above 4 (Bergeron, Kopitar, Couturier, Barkov, etc. all have a 4).  I was seeing too much checking and aggressiveness in 5-7 minutes periods (for my taste).  Those with higher checking ratings still check as expected but not like before.  It's a little "dialed back" and I have been liking the results which includes less injuries.  Anywho, I may have done a few other tweaks that are just escaping my mind right now.  I have been doing some beta testing, on the skating updates, by playing and simming.  I've liked what I have seen for the most part.  That said, with travel plans coming up and the season nearing an end, this will be my final update to this roster.  I'm looking forward to next years season of roster updating now that I have found some settings/edits that I actually like...

If you download this version (v3.1)...enjoy!  If you downloaded any prior versions, I hope that you liked them.  Feedback is always welcome!

Edited by The Sauce
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some feedback

try and leave the skate blade color 0666 or you will get different bench carpet color.

not a fan of the time ea logo, I always hated the original, lol

you should also add a custom scoreboard logo

change the menu team select, pitts and nash are out. :D

excellent work, keep it up

 

Edited by slapshot67
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7 hours ago, slapshot67 said:

some feedback

try and leave the skate blade color 0666 or you will get different bench carpet color.

not a fan of the time ea logo, I always hated the original, lol

you should also add a custom scoreboard logo

change the menu team select, pitts and nash are out. :D

excellent work, keep it up

 

Thanks for the feedback and more importantly, the catch on the skate blades.  It only affected 3 teams.  I fixed all three and in turn, their center ice logos (as best I could).  I didn't know it affected the carpet as I don't usually play with one of those teams.  As you may have guessed, I tweaked some of the blades to get that color into the center ice logo swatch.  I figured, you don't notice the blades during game play and it would add a color not in the uniforms.  Oh well...good lesson learned.  Thanks for the heads up!  Updated version is now posted.

The EA logo will remain as I kinda like it (feels old school which I like).  Anyone can remove/change it if they want use this ROM and it bothers them.  It's all good.  I am actually working on a new scoreboard logo but it wouldn't be for this ROM.  Perhaps, for next years version.  Gotta live with it for a while before I decide...

I'll change the menu team select next season.   :) 

Edited by The Sauce
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2 hours ago, The Sauce said:

Thanks for the feedback and more importantly, the catch on the skate blades.  It only affected 3 teams.  I fixed all three and in turn, their center ice logos (as best I could).  I didn't know it affected the carpet as I don't usually play with one of those teams.  As you may have guessed, I tweaked some of the blades to get that color into the center ice logo swatch.  I figured, you don't notice the blades during game play and it would add a color not in the uniforms.  Oh well...good lesson learned.  Thanks for the heads up!  Updated version is now posted.

The EA logo will remain as I kinda like it (feels old school which I like).  Anyone can remove/change it if they want use this ROM and it bothers them.  It's all good.  I am actually working on a new scoreboard logo but it wouldn't be for this ROM.  Perhaps, for next years version.  Gotta live with it for a while before I decide...

I'll change the menu team select next season.  :)

My bad...the center ice logos that I fixed didn't take... that said, it's now fixed and what is attached is good to go.  :)

Edited by The Sauce
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