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Chris

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First some background information -

Recently, 2 good friends of mine on completely separate occasions, have bitched to me about how much this year's offering of hockey games suck, specifically NHL 07 and NHL 2K7. I became inspired by this and the fact that public sentiment is about the same and I decided that I was going to do something about it. I explained to these friends the work I have done in the past with hacking the Genesis and Sega CD versions NHL 94. (for those that have been on the scene for awhile, you may remember these versions as "NHL 94: '02 Remix" and "NHL 94: 10th Anniversary Edition"). These are friends that I have known for quite a long time and who I have both played the original version of NHL 94 with when we were younger. Both friends seemed extremely receptive to the idea. I then asked them if they would be able to assist me in any way possible (creative aspects, roster construction, stat hunting, finding proper lines, soundtrack selection, brainstorming support, etc.). They seemed very interested in the project and agreed to help. These friends then proceeded to ridicule me behind my back and tell people how insane I was and how I need to "get out more" which is a laughable statement considering that my social life is far more active than theirs could ever hope to be. To sum it all up, I committed myself to this project counting on some help and it has now turned into a solo project. This is going to be quite an ambitious and comprehensive project.

All that being said, I am appealing to this community for help. I know that I might as well be talking to a wall because most of the members of this site are only here for the online leagues, so I'm not going to waste my time typing by going into too much detail but here is a general overview:

This updated hack will only be for the Sega CD and it will be based on 2007 rosters and stats. I have put together some formulas which will DIRECTLY link the player attributes in the game to real life stats of the 2006-07 season. The only exception to this will be the player speeds, agility and stickhandling ability which will still have to be subjectively rated by an actual person. This game will NOT be like any of the other versions of NHL 94. My ratings formulas have yielded drastically different gameplay dynamics in the preliminary prototype versions of the game. I hope to be finished with this game at the beginning of the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs. The amount of help that I receive will determine my likelihood of reaching this goal.

If anyone is geniunely interested in this project, your help and input is welcome.

P.S. - I would like to thank Jarkko/Swos, who has been quite generously helping me become up to speed since I haven't been hacking for the past 3 years. I'd also like to thank wboy for all he has brought to the table, browsing through his archive of posts has been equally as helpful in bringing me up to speed.

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Guest cr0ssbar94
First some background information -

Recently, 2 good friends of mine on completely separate occasions, have bitched to me about how much this year's offering of hockey games suck, specifically NHL 07 and NHL 2K7. I became inspired by this and the fact that public sentiment is about the same and I decided that I was going to do something about it. I explained to these friends the work I have done in the past with hacking the Genesis and Sega CD versions NHL 94. (for those that have been on the scene for awhile, you may remember these versions as "NHL 94: '02 Remix" and "NHL 94: 10th Anniversary Edition"). These are friends that I have known for quite a long time and who I have both played the original version of NHL 94 with when we were younger. Both friends seemed extremely receptive to the idea. I then asked them if they would be able to assist me in any way possible (creative aspects, roster construction, stat hunting, finding proper lines, soundtrack selection, brainstorming support, etc.). They seemed very interested in the project and agreed to help. These friends then proceeded to ridicule me behind my back and tell people how insane I was and how I need to "get out more" which is a laughable statement considering that my social life is far more active than theirs could ever hope to be. To sum it all up, I committed myself to this project counting on some help and it has now turned into a solo project. This is going to be quite an ambitious and comprehensive project.

All that being said, I am appealing to this community for help. I know that I might as well be talking to a wall because most of the members of this site are only here for the online leagues, so I'm not going to waste my time typing by going into too much detail but here is a general overview:

This updated hack will only be for the Sega CD and it will be based on 2007 rosters and stats. I have put together some formulas which will DIRECTLY link the player attributes in the game to real life stats of the 2006-07 season. The only exception to this will be the player speeds, agility and stickhandling ability which will still have to be subjectively rated by an actual person. This game will NOT be like any of the other versions of NHL 94. My ratings formulas have yielded drastically different gameplay dynamics in the preliminary prototype versions of the game. I hope to be finished with this game at the beginning of the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs. The amount of help that I receive will determine my likelihood of reaching this goal.

If anyone is geniunely interested in this project, your help and input is welcome.

P.S. - I would like to thank Jarkko/Swos, who has been quite generously helping me become up to speed since I haven't been hacking for the past 3 years. I'd also like to thank wboy for all he has brought to the table, browsing through his archive of posts has been equally as helpful in bringing me up to speed.

What is the 4 digit hex code of the ice color in your avatar? Its sweet.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Chris and I for one prefer the CD version because it is a better game then the Genny ver. Also, you can edit it and play it on your actual CD system but not so much online unless you have a modded Xbox.

Anyone who doesn't at least appreciate what he is doing should understand that both of us play hockey in real life and realize that whatever crap that EA comes out these days for a hockey game is not very realistic, just because you have a favorite player doesn't mean that he should be rated higher. Having the players rated slower just means that you have to work harder in the game to score as we all know it is easy to score on the computer in 94.

So, you all better like this or else. :)

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Due to a lack of interest, I am discontinuing this project. The game of hockey is in shambles in the United States. Attendance is down and television ratings are miniscule. Interest in the game of hockey is virtually non-existant so it is understandable that there is no interest in a 14 year old hockey video game for a system which very few people owned in the first place. This project is simply the wrong idea at the wrong time.

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People, show some support, I would join an online league if this ROM were to be made. Chris needs our interest and support just like every other project that goes on here. B)

Does the CD version actually work on Gens during netplay?

While I support anything bearing the hallowed NHL 94 title; there's been so much acomplished for the Genesis version already. Plus Sega CD is truely an arcane console that only the heartiest of fans could fek with. I wouldn't be suprised if many of the members here have never played it.

94 aside, without releases like "Markey Mark and the Funkey bunch: Make your own video" Sega CD would have been a complete blunder.

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Does the CD version actually work on Gens during netplay?

While I support anything bearing the hallowed NHL 94 title; there's been so much acomplished for the Genesis version already. Plus Sega CD is truely an arcane console that only the heartiest of fans could fek with. I wouldn't be suprised if many of the members here have never played it.

94 aside, without releases like "Markey Mark and the Funkey bunch: Make your own video" Sega CD would have been a complete blunder.

You can download the Sega CD version here: http://www.nhl94.com/html/multimedia/downloads.asp and if you have a Sega CD you can play that when burnt on the actual system. It does suck that most people have played the Snes and Genny versions which are good in their own right. I own all 3 versions and I prefer the CD version.

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Guest cr0ssbar94
Due to a lack of interest, I am discontinuing this project. The game of hockey is in shambles in the United States. Attendance is down and television ratings are miniscule. Interest in the game of hockey is virtually non-existant so it is understandable that there is no interest in a 14 year old hockey video game for a system which very few people owned in the first place. This project is simply the wrong idea at the wrong time.

I sadly have to agree, and we can all thank Gary Buttman for it. Pillaging Canadien teams and coming up with lame ass gimmicks like the shootout, and expanding the hell out of the league.

This may sound strange, but I am a huge fan of NHL from the 80's/early 90's but not so much today. It seems like a different game. Buttman tried to gain fans who didnt care about hockey through gimmicks and expansion, and all he ended up doing was alienating the true hockey fans. So now, he basically has nothing. He should have focused on the REAL fans of the game instead of trying to lure non hockey fans.

I gotta say though, there are more fans of this game than you think. For example...ME!!! And everyone else who is here. This place would be dead if nobody cared about this game. As it is people are banging down Evans door trying to join the league and community. I think the growth on the net about this game the past 3 years has been nothing short of astounding. People (like me) crave this and other old school games to remind us of what hockey used to be about.

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Due to a lack of interest, I am discontinuing this project. The game of hockey is in shambles in the United States. Attendance is down and television ratings are miniscule. Interest in the game of hockey is virtually non-existant so it is understandable that there is no interest in a 14 year old hockey video game for a system which very few people owned in the first place. This project is simply the wrong idea at the wrong time.

Why don't you start simple, then go the full hog if interest arrises.

By that I mean take the rom based on the 30 team rom, test your player formulas with the aid of NOSE (only doing a handful of teams), and then release a preview beta to see if it gains any interest making it worth doing it all for the SCD version.

Yeah I know, they play different apparently, but surely not that different to atleast do what I've suggested?

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Plus Sega CD is truely an arcane console that only the heartiest of fans could fek with. I wouldn't be suprised if many of the members here have never played it.

94 aside, without releases like "Markey Mark and the Funkey bunch: Make your own video" Sega CD would have been a complete blunder.

Well I can't speak for anyone else but I personally own a Sega CD. I really have no interest in the Genesis version for 2 reasons. The first being that the Sega CD version has smoother framerate and slightly more responsive controls in addition to much better sound, which is a nice bonus. The second reason being that I can actually burn the hacked ISO to a CD (with a customized soundtrack) and play it on my TV with my Sega CD. Are you aware that the Sega CD version can be played in Gens on a computer? Genesis version: very slightly inferior, can only be played on a computer. Sega CD version: better game, can be played on both computer AND TV. For me its a no-brainer. I think that if more people were aware of these points, the Sega CD version would be much more popular in this community.

I sadly have to agree, and we can all thank Gary Buttman for it. Pillaging Canadien teams and coming up with lame ass gimmicks like the shootout, and expanding the hell out of the league.

This may sound strange, but I am a huge fan of NHL from the 80's/early 90's but not so much today. It seems like a different game. Buttman tried to gain fans who didnt care about hockey through gimmicks and expansion, and all he ended up doing was alienating the true hockey fans. So now, he basically has nothing. He should have focused on the REAL fans of the game instead of trying to lure non hockey fans.

Yes, that definitely is part of it. The game was aggressively shoved down the throats of Americans in the 90s and when something is forced onto a public that they simply do not want, that is when apathy turns into flat out dislike. I'm tired of people making excuses for the game and saying that its a "niche sport" and that its still growing and we are coming back from a lockout. The fact is that the NHL has been around in the US longer than the NBA and way longer than the NFL. Hockey has been on TV in the US for the past 80 years. In that time, I'd say that 95-98% of Americans have seen a hockey game on TV at some point in their lives and they have just decided it is something that they have no interest in and the numbers back it up.

The NHL is run by a bunch of idiots who have no clue what they are doing. The really pathetic thing is that the Pittsburgh market has by far the highest TV ratings of hockey games and the league is doing very little to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh, they'd rather have lower ratings in a "bigger" TV market than have outstanding ratings in a respectable TV market because bigger TV markets are more attractive to networks and this is somehow going to get the NHL a national TV deal.

The NHL needs to face the facts . There are newspapers in major US NHL cities that have decided that hockey is no longer a major sport in the US and are no longer covering them. TV ratings are next to nothing, the sport isn't even on the radar, yet according to Gary Bettman, the game couldn't be more popular in the US and it will soon rival the NFL and attendance is through the roof and OLN versus will soon be in 851 billion households. I think Bettman has ruined the game with expansion, but I would respect him a hell of a lot more if he just came out and said "ok we realize there is a problem and these are the steps we are taking to fix it" instead of the ridiculous propaganda that comes out of his mouth whenever he is in front of a microphone.

The "new NHL" just flat out sucks. Yes, it is nice that the obstruction is out of the game and it was a problem but they are missing the boat here. The game is just flat out BORING. Back in the 80s/early 90s, teams would skate the puck into the zone and attack the net, now they just do whatever they can to gain the red line then dump the puck in. No one wants to see 2 teams dump and chase for 2 and a half hours and this is far more detrimental to the game than obstruction ever could be. The TV production is extremely poor. The camera jerks back and forth too much and changes angles so often at the worst possible times which from a viewers standpoint, interrupts the flow of the game. In closing, I have to say that as a former Islander fan, I take extreme offense to your signature pic :)

Why don't you start simple, then go the full hog if interest arrises.

By that I mean take the rom based on the 30 team rom, test your player formulas with the aid of NOSE (only doing a handful of teams), and then release a preview beta to see if it gains any interest making it worth doing it all for the SCD version.

Yeah I know, they play different apparently, but surely not that different to atleast do what I've suggested?

To be honest, I really only started doing this for the amusement of myself and my friends. My friends have turned into total flakes and to put it bluntly, they are just too ignorant to understand what I am trying to do so they just ridicule me so I have totally shut them out of any involvement with this project. I brought it up here because I figured if there was anyone who was interested in what I am trying to do, I'd find people here, but this community seems to be too wrapped up with online leagues. The bottom line is that I really don't see the use in busting my ass and putting in all this meticulous work for a game that I am just going to end up playing all by myself. I'd love to continue work on it but given the facts, its just not practical. As far as what you said about doing a Genesis version and seeing if it gained interest, then doing a SCD version, I could very easily port this game over to a Genesis version when I was done if the interest warranted it

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I'd have great interest in this if I knew what I was doing. Anything that adds another modified NHL 94 game to our coffers is always a plus :)

I do agree that the new NHL isn't all that good...with all the puck dumping going on. I'd like to see more wide open play. More teams focusing on attacking the net rather than sitting on 1-0 leads.

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It's all US propaganda, its either all baseball or football or basketball junk. I for one take offence that they say hockey is a niche sport, take most of those critics, stick them in a rink and watch me crush them into the boards...

---

I have watched some of the videos that Chris made and the main thing I noticed that with the lower ratio of ratings, the players actually stick back on defence a lot more. It was almost like watching a whole new game, being that you people like me have watched and played 94 more times then you care to think about, you know that the defence tends to pinch and wander around but they don't do that as much now. I'll get Chris to send me those vids and put them on this board.

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Are you aware that the Sega CD version can be played in Gens on a computer?

Fully. Hearing Ron Bizzarr deliver the matchup in stereo was worth the download.

Genesis version: very slightly inferior, can only be played on a computer. Sega CD version: better game, can be played on both computer AND TV. For me its a no-brainer. I think that if more people were aware of these points, the Sega CD version would be much more popular in this community.

Actually, it is possible to play edited roms in their natural state on a Genesis / MD.

Regarding the CD versions popularity; I'm not sure if people would convert in mass. They could..But only if it's possible to play through Kaillera or online in some way.

Sorry if I got your topic off track.

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I have watched some of the videos that Chris made and the main thing I noticed that with the lower ratio of ratings, the players actually stick back on defence a lot more. It was almost like watching a whole new game, being that you people like me have watched and played 94 more times then you care to think about, you know that the defence tends to pinch and wander around but they don't do that as much now. I'll get Chris to send me those vids and put them on this board.

Yes, that is the idea, to make it as close to realistic as possible. As Donny can attest to, its harder to score and you have to go about it a completely different way. The original programmers of 94 were geniuses when it came to defensive AI, the only problem being is that whoever did the ratings made the skaters so ridiculously fast, that by the time the defensemen assume the defensive stance, the forwards have already blown by them and they are a non-factor in the play. My version strived to correct this problem. The defensemen do things that you don't see too often in the original 94 such as play 2-on-1s correctly and knock away and/or intercept passes. The defensemen protect the net very well and it forces you to work the puck down low, use your point men, cycle behind the net and generally go about scoring goals in a different way. The cheap goals when you deke at the top of the faceoff circle for a guarenteed goal almost never go in (unless you are shooting with Malkin). In many respects, this IS a whole new game.

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  • 2 weeks later...

No more overrated players and now you actually work up to scoring goals and setting up plays. This release needs some serious consideration from all you 94 fans. There will be a ROM release and Chris needs your encouragement. I would play a online league with this rom once it's completed but I have mostly held back because I wanted an edit that was more realistic on the ratings.

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  • 3 weeks later...
No more overrated players and now you actually work up to scoring goals and setting up plays. This release needs some serious consideration from all you 94 fans. There will be a ROM release and Chris needs your encouragement. I would play a online league with this rom once it's completed but I have mostly held back because I wanted an edit that was more realistic on the ratings.

Sounds fun. I was disappointed in other people's updated ROMs.

On the one that is on the main NHL94 page some teams like the Islanders and Flyers just seem better than their real life counter parts, and other teams seem worse than their real life counter parts (Penguins and a few others) But I did notice that the stats between players seem to be in a much tighter spread in terms of overall, while the original NHL 94 has players all over the spectrum. The player ratings also seem to favor older veteran players that thrived in the old NHL, instead of the newer players that are currently dominating (Crosby, Kovalchuck, Hossa, Ovetchkin, St. Louis, LeCavalier, Briere, etc.)

If you need any help with getting any of the teams stats done (since you have formulas it would just be b***h work) I'll help.

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Sounds fun. I was disappointed in other people's updated ROMs.

On the one that is on the main NHL94 page some teams like the Islanders and Flyers just seem better than their real life counter parts, and other teams seem worse than their real life counter parts (Penguins and a few others) But I did notice that the stats between players seem to be in a much tighter spread in terms of overall, while the original NHL 94 has players all over the spectrum. The player ratings also seem to favor older veteran players that thrived in the old NHL, instead of the newer players that are currently dominating (Crosby, Kovalchuck, Hossa, Ovetchkin, St. Louis, LeCavalier, Briere, etc.)

If you need any help with getting any of the teams stats done (since you have formulas it would just be b***h work) I'll help.

Well MMVII's player ratings are almost 90% determined by the real life player's stats for this season. Shot power and accuracy are almost directly tied to the amount of goals they are projected for. Same with assists and pass accuracy. Endurance is tied to age, etc.

Look for a new thread in the next few days which will explain the game in detail :huh:

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