Skill in NHL94

[Depch]

Yesterday there was some talk in the GDL chat regarding skill involved in NHL94. I decided to sum this up and add my own interpretation to it and take it to the forums.

Skill = Mental + Technical abilities

Technical ability: CB, Dekes, Pass shots and tricks, Quick passing plays, Goalie save timing, mastering your controller

Mental Ability:

Tactics - Anticipation, GC, Meta, Overall focus

Strategy - Knowledge of the game and players, Gameplan

The technical abilities requirement level is relatively low in nhl94 and you can have a good technical execution of some moves, while be low on others. Learning new things is mostly in your head and it is mostly just practising and mastering them. To a some degree not having enough dexterity can prevent you making some moves.

The mental abilities can be put to two or even more categories would be better my mind. TK brought up two from chess, so I summed it up to them. Having a good strategy alone can take you to an average level as the technical requirement is relatively low. The most important skill in nhl94 and many other games is tactics. Strategy you can improve over time and increase your knowledge level and even tactics to a certain degree, but there are limitations to mental capabilities between people. The strategy part comes in play in drafts and trades as well, but this can also be affected by personality - some are adhd and some are patient for example. Some like to test things, some are on a mission to prove something constantly.

I'll try to be analytic of myself and a few others as an example using these things to define skill.

I believe myself to have a good to great hold of the strategy department. But like someone said in the chat yesterday, that Seth would lack on the knowledge side of players - I do as well view many things similarly as Seth does, so maybe I am stretching it and thinking too much of myself in it, I belive I have learned a lot of new things out of the skills as of late especially regarding team defence. This way other the other way. I have a different gameplan than many others here have and executing it has an emphasis on different technical abilities, which are sufficient to it.

On the tactics category I can be of night and day, this really is nowadays up to a mood, which can derive from many things. I have even noticed that the amount of exercise and your diet really affects this one, you can also be drained out of energy by your work and family stuff, which makes you weak on tactics. This I also think makes up for my inconsistency in league plays and should ready myself more like Swos does. My anticipation of dekes with GC is horrible most of the time and give up more goals due to it than many above average players. Seems lile I'm also scared to make any proper moves with GC, which should be pointless as against good players you will suck those goals in regardless, it's a mental issue.

I will make an analysis of my former self as well.

It is clear that strategy wise this player was not as good. I have gained the knowledge of rebounds and CB for example, weight bug and many simple things. Tactics wise this player was on top for most of the time though and I can tell it from the difference in GC easy and being able to get to that zen-mode and pay attention to everything in a microsecond and react to it, which has not happened anymore, but I belive one is able to get that back if you just keep your body and mind in shape. Technically this player was better with pass shots as well, but this could be a false interpretation as I think pass shots are easier with faster players as it takes the goalie along with the slide easier and have more openings. This going back to basics is where I will be heading next GDL draft, barring the success on my heavy emphasis on awarenesses this season.

I will make another example and bring out Swos here whom I know well.

I think Swos has a good strategy, but is limited to certain player types to execute it effectively. Where the power lies behind swos is his tactics. While on good level in leaague play, in playoffs he can get his mental game up and high and be really hard to beat, propably the best one preparing for a series strategy wise and being sharp in tactics. On the fly when we play exis for example, I usually am on the upper hand, but in playoffs when ups his mental game guy is really tough to play against. His technical abilities are above average.

Another example with Plabax.

I think Plabax is the master of tactics at the moment. His ability to focus and up his game to another level and pay attention to minor movements make him very tough to beat. This also makes him a great GC reading plays as well. He has studied the game, which has made him great in strategy department as well. He says himself that he is not the most technically able player, but this is on the great side as well, I see no moves that he could not make. You could say that he has propably had the tactics side all along with him and when he studied the game it got his game to the next level.

Edited August 12, 2015 by Depch