PLEASE NOTE. Any updates from here on out, it is a good idea to Fold your team in the League Mode and restart to see the new updates with League Mode. You can do so at the main League screen by pressing start on the Xbox controller or esc on the keyboard to pull up the Season Options.
Quick update on some progress!
Needs Fixing: -Point awarding in League Mode is not 100% -Post Game is a bit broken in League Mode -Sometimes the Center position of Home or Away kind of drift downward. Thinking it's a collision bug
Additions: -1 New Feature Team -1 New Champ Team -10 New Free Agents -Can play through all 10 Seasons -Ending and Credit Screen implemented (Not finalized however). -All 4 players can coop League Mode via POS lock. -Edit Team Information Mid Season is in beta.
Fixes: -Pause Mechanic reworked. -Music Playing Issue -Inconsistency with Rink Graphics for Cup Mode / Final Anthem -Sub Duplication issue -Rapid fire Joystick Selections Corrected -Old Instructions Updated -Points Not being Awarded Fix.
Gameplay Changes: -Settings are now locked for full version. -AI Tweaked with more passing and shooting -Goalie Collisions Tuned -Goalie AI Adjusted
Version 0.96 | LEAGUE MODE IS PLAYABLE!
HOCKEY FANS!
Sorry for the stretch of silence here for a couple of weeks. I have been busy updating the game / playing actual hockey / being a dad.
AND NOW... TIME FOR THE NEW VERSION and it's changes.
Version 0.96
League Mode is "Playable" MY GOD ITS FINALLY A THING! There are some things I need to add still but we have a close to final version of the mode. Here is what you can do currently...
-Start a team -Play 1 Season -Release and Acquire Players -Put SUBS in your lineup -Play a Ranked game, Feature, or Cup Game.
What the heck is League Mode?
If you all remember Arcade Mode... Well this is like my Franchise idea and that COMBINED! You will play 10 games per Season and 10 Seasons to capture the KEG and the PITCHER in your quest for Beer League Glory.
Once you start a season you will notice that you have been given a starter team. Your job is to rebuild this squad into a formidable force!
How?? It's entirely up to you but everything has a price.
Point System
In League Mode, the points you acquire are by meeting conditions in each game. These points can be used as a measuring stick, acquisitions, or creating an opportunity.
You can use it to Acquire Players or Goalies and Enter a Feature or Cup Game. Be sure to use your points by the end of the Season as they get reset.
Objectives
Win the Keg! - Beat the Team that currently holds the Keg in a Cup Game. Once you acquire the Keg, you will notice that Feature Mode has turned into Challenge Mode. More on that later.
Win the Pitcher - You may notice that you have some rivals in the Leaderboard. If you have the most points at the end of the season, you get the PITCHER! This cannot be taken from you unlike the Keg.
Beat all the Teams! - In the Team screen, you will notice a checklist button. Here you can view all the teams you have beaten. If you beat them all, Congratulations! if you have the Keg and Pitcher, you have achieved the TRIPLE CROWN of LTL Hockey!
Have the Best Locker Room! The less you use Subs, the less you release players, the better the locker room! Become the best Team owner in the League!
League Rules
The League has put in place a Sportsmanship Guideline. It is your responsibility to compete honestly and fairly with other teams. To ensure proper sportsmanship, each game is evaluated by the league. If you have won unfairly with a misuse of subs, your win can be overturned. This can go for your opponents as well. It is fine to use Subs most of the time, however the league does not condone the consistency of use and quantity of use. Keep this in mind as you progress through the game.
The Current Champion of the League must defend the Title by challenging or accepting a no.1 contender challenge at least once a season. If the title is not defended, it will be vacated and given to whoever wins the no.1 and no.2 contender Cup Match as dictated by the league.
There are 10 Rounds scheduled for each Season. After completion, there will be a brief off season and points will reset and a new season will begin.
Games
Ranked Game - Gain up to 4 points against a league scheduled opponent. Feature Game - Costs 4 points. A Big game, Earn up to 12 points in this game that puts a real test on your team. Cup Game - Costs 20 points. Challenge the Champion! Challenge Game - Keg and 4 points Required, Challenge any team and play them in a Cup Battle. Cup is on the line!
Events
Still being completed, more details later.
Version 0.96 disclaimer.
Please be advised that this is an early version of League Mode and things can be broken. Although I have tried my best to kill these bugs. Some may indeed occur in situations that I have not properly tested.
Known Issues
-Box score is just broken -Quick Sim can break. -Some Jank in menus. -Menu Music not playing in League Mode
Gameplay changes
-Classic Control no longer gives you the ability to switch positions. Instead you will have the control for each player on your team that has possession. Like Wayne Gretzky Hockey's Puck Hog mode.
-Coach Mode is BACK However... you can only watch your games. Counts as a simmed game.
-Classic Mode has been tweaked to have more control on pass receptions.
- Goalies can be faked out.
- Tweaks to AI player passing and shooting.
VERSION 1.0 Details!
SAVE THE DATE | May 28th 2024. Version 1.0 Full Release!
as always, thanks to everyone who has stuck it out since the beginning. ITS BEEN A LONG ROAD.
Oh and please post in the Steam forums about any feedback with gameplay and bug reporting!
-Jordan
Version 0.95 - Progress Update | Player Acquisition Menu
Hello Hockey Fans! Weather is getting warmer and the rink is the only place that's cold! So set your thermostat to 42 and feel the immersion of Light the Lamp Hockey!
Player Acquisitions
This past week, I worked on some more team management options. So now I have a way for you to acquire players once they leave.
Each Round, there will be 2 new players in this menu. One that's a player and One that's a goalie!
The quality of the two are randomized each round. So when the opportunity comes, it's a good idea to seize a player or goaltender. However, you must have an empty slot for the player or goalie on the team.
That doesn't mean you can't be sneaky with the sub options, you still can. However, you can't win a Feature game or a Cup game with Subs.
How Close are we to Version 0.95?
Close! I have to ensure the Cup and Feature games are working with some tests. I need to also make sure that the league mode is not broken on this initial release as I want you all to have a fun time with this early version of the mode and not a frustrating one.
Thank you all for your patience and I hope to see you all next week with a new UPDATE!
Version 0.95 Progress Update! | New Computer | Team management goodness!
Good Afternoon Hockey Fans! We are getting soooo close but not quite there yet!
However, got some really cool stuff to talk about and show with this weeks update.
Current News
I have a new Computer and so I have seen some things that maybe a few of you have seen on your time with the game.
- FONTS are NOT ACCURATE. I noticed that my fonts did not come over in the binary, which means I will need to fix that whenever I can.
-120 hz users. If you have a monitor over a refresh rate of 60, you will experience some weird jittery slowdown. I advise setting your monitor to 60hz and disabling vsync in the options.
-I will remove the 75 and 120 hz options. The game natively renders at 60 frames so I have made a silly option selection choice by having these options available and selectable, it's basically, do you want to play the game at an impossible render speed?
-Reminder on the Beta Selection, I had a funny moment where I thought the exe for the beta was not coming over. I then realized that on my new computer, the beta participation was off. SO JUST A REMINDER for those buying the game for fun with the beta, PLEASE ENABLE beta participation by right clicking the game, selecting properties, and betas.
The Imminent Update
Since we are about 1 week or 2 away from the League Main loop being completed. I will set the expectation on this version coming as it pertains to League Mode.
Working Part of League Mode -You will be able to play through seasons. -You will be able to remove players and add players to no penalty -You may be an absolute turd with the option of filling the roster with subs -there may and may not be new teams for Feature and Cup battles ( I'll let you know)
Feature awaiting implementation -Events -Penalties ( as it pertains to subs and player release )
Spotlight on Team Management
So I finished the edit lines functionality on the team management screen. Now you can set your lines or screw out your player's playtime by filling their position with a sub. ITS UP TO YOU RINGER!
View Cards Function. Just want to say, I have the lovely View cards function completed and you may ask well... what does this offer? Well I love looking at my hockey cards so, I brought some of that joy into the game! A cool thing to note, when the full version is done, you can put your own hockey card picture and set the id in the team editor. When you view the card of yourself, it will have the picture you pointed to and voila! YOU HAVE BEEN CARDED INTO THE GAME!
Final Thoughts
HOCKEY PLAYOFF SEASON IS ALMOST HERE! So switch your play now game mode to PLAYOFF and get in on the action!
Thanks as always for your patience and see you next week!
Version 0.95 - Progress Update!
Version 0.95 - Update on Progress. Hi Everyone, Quick update on work that I have done this week. Started working on the team management screen and it is getting close to main functionality and we are one step closer to realizing 0.95!
Also, spent some time with my family since I had some off days this week so next week I'll drop a lot more time on the development and hopefully get closer to the Update Release.
Thanks everyone for their patience and support!
LTL Hockey is also participating in the Spring Sale going on currently! So, it's a great time to pick up the game and see if it's your thing!
Version 0.94 - League Games | Goalie Changes | Fixes!
Hello Again Hockey Gamers! We are closing in on Version 1.0 and here is the latest update!
Version 0.94
League Games and Playoff Games are available!
You can now start experimenting with teams in the play now mode. You will see in these different game types, how each team manages their game. You won't really be able to break down or quantify why they all behave in different ways just yet, But the different Chemistries and Skills are fully implemented.
What's great about all this, is you can start to play the different teams and get a feel for how you would challenge each one when it comes time in League Mode. Sure there will be some turnover of talent with all the teams as you progress through each campaign, But the foundation is laid out for the game now. The question starts to become, What team will you build? You will now be able to look for defensive minded players, Ringers, and hard working players. You will need them all to win and it's great to see it all come together!
I'll quickly go over the differences.
Even Teams = Any team can win. no skills and chemistry is quantified.
League Game: Skills and Chemistry is measured. However, some crazy things can happen and shifts in momentum can take effect. The Physical play is moderate.
Playoff Game: Skills and Chemistry is measured. There are no possible momentum swings, The teams play at their top level. Physical play is at it's peak.
When the game is released, you can essentially mod your own league and from the Play Now section, conduct the games yourself. I might even put in a quick sim option for those people who like to make their own virtual leagues.
Version 0.93 - Roster Update 2024
Version 0.93 is here! and as promised, new rosters!
New faces, New Skills, New Systems are getting setup for the upcoming Version 1.0 Season!
When you hop in on the beta branch, you will see some new opponents I'll quickly detail some players to lookout for and how this sets the stage for League Mode!
Player Spotlight!
BlackJack = No.94 Torrie Winsor She is back after the Early Access Run and she is looking to put up wild numbers. With an Offensive rating of 9/10, Torrie will be a player to clamp down on.
Brawlers = No.23 Deston Vinen He is new to the game, but looks to give this pound-y team some offensive attributes for the upcoming season. In his debut, he put up 2 goals and 1 assist!
Clappers = No.60 Tossie Noska This 2 season vet has joined this infamous ringer team with hopes to not do it all by her lonesome. She will join her linemate, Katie Cambel, and they hope to run the table all the way to hoist her first KEG!
Knights = No.3 Jonathan Pent In what has to be the most bullcrap move of the season, Jonathan Pent of the Mountain League has arrived at the Desert Dome and adapted the Knights as his hometown team. With an offensive rating of 10/10 you can only hope that your goalie is good and the defense can block until this line changes.
Legends = No.2 Kai Eves When we were looking through the submitted roster sheets, we were shocked to find Eves on the sub goalie position for the Legends. Sure, Maurice Kelly is their primary goaltender, but Kai is a Beer League legend, He had a great run with the Showmen when they were winning the Keg almost every season in the A league. So if he is ever called to action, only the top tier can beat him.
Mashers = No.91 Pee Paw Mashers are in a bit of a rebuild but Pee Paw has returned to action and has scored 2 goals in 2 outings. A man in his 60s should be putting in another stone pizza oven in the kitchen. Instead, he chooses to sail the seas of a rebuild with his former team.
Seabeasts = No.78 Tyler Stead One of the best scorers in modern beer league times, this dude is looking to go back to his love for hockey after a significant injury a couple of years ago. He has played 2 games and Scored 2 goals and 3 assists. You can only imagine that he is just getting warmed up.
Siege = No.18 Brady OP He fights fires, plays airsoft, and whoops anyone's face off when you go into a corner with him. Brady or "Mr O.p." is known as one of the most short fused players in the league. Everyone hates him, But his teammates absolutely love him! Everyone is wondering the over and under on Pims. Only time will tell!
Torrent = No.69 Jess Coral This Torrent team is a completely different team then we saw in 2022. They look to strengthen the D and bring some great offensive firepower to help net them some hardware. Jess Coral is certainly one of those pieces. She is quick, tenacious, great hockey sense. AND!!! will backcheck and block a puck if need be. What more could a team want?
Wampas = No.42 Trey Carson " Go get em ringer." confidently blessed by the captain / team owner, B Thomps. This man is a complete package. He scores, He defends, he is unstoppable. If there is a weakness, it would be, He is busy all the time and flies in to play. But, when he is on the roster sheet, properly checked in, LOOK OUT!
The System
The work this week was getting the LTL Hockey Engine ready to handle the roster. With these changes, so does the team files themselves. As you might have noticed, I said Offensive and Defensive ratings. There is also Chemistry letters which I have gone over before but basically here are the ratings and what they mean.
Offensive rating = 1/10 = the higher the number the higher the bonus on your shot percentage. Defense rating = 1/5 = the higher the number, the chance you will have to block a shot. Goalie Skill= 1/10 = the higher the number, the higher chance you have to defend against the best shooters.
all of this is calculated in the game and the results can go from a goal to a mad scramble for a rebound.
It's simple but great for a Simulation with fun sprinkled in!
Currently, you cannot use the ratings in a game. However, in play now, it does follow the same system, it's just more equalized for exhibition and 2p versus modes, no team has an advantage over the other for now.
Fixes | Improvements
-Goalies have been worked on again. (for the new stat system) -AI made less finicky. -AI shot selection, mended. -Skating worked on. -Collision worked on. -Puck collisions have been tweaked to be more dynamic. -Secret Ref Call
Next Update!?
Next week we will release 0.94! on the agenda. League Exhibition. (You can now get slaughtered by some of these ringer teams) -Some music changes -Fixes and tweaks I'm sure, because crap, I guess I can't not.
We will see where we are at the end of the week for anything further.
Till Then! -Jordan
Version 0.92 Gameplay beta 3!
Well we are finally here! With this latest update. Gameplay is pretty much set. I will be of course testing and tweaking up until we get to version 1.0 but this update has ticked off a lot of the boxes I have been looking to achieve when I first started making this game BACK IN 2020 WHEW!
So what's new?
Elite Checking Mode
This is an option that can be set in the option menu. I highly recommend enabling this when you are simming games as well as it adds a whole new dimension to the gameplay.
Basically, with Elite Checking mode enabled, you can use the "Shoot" button as a Check button when you do not have a puck. Now while that seems like something small. It is not. As those of you who know, when you start to become fierce on the puck and start putting opponents on their backs, the whole dynamic of the game can change. This is the truth as well in LTL Hockey. Once you start playing a lunch bucket game, your opponent can change how they approach you, a seemingly peaceful game can become a tit for tat slugfest with guys out on the ice. A well timed hit can change everything about the game and it can even inspire or demoralize others. Don't like how the game is going? knock the crap out of someone after the whistle and muck it up!
**If you choose to play the game (the normal way with auto check) simply switch it to Auto, however, the different aggression levels will not be in play as they are only associated when this mode is enabled.
Manual Passing Finalized!
Also enabled in the options, switching the passing mechanic to manual increases your toolbox ingame. Now you can use the different directions to switch who you are passing to. It takes some practice, but once you get the hang of it, the perfect play is within your reach!
New Box Score and Post Game Stat Screen
Had this on my list for a while and finally I got it up here and working!
Fixes and improvements
- Reworked some puck bounces and stick handling puck retention - Tweaked Goalies - Improved AI, Dumping and Chasing, Desperation plays, Dirty plays, Better Passing. - Alert tick sound in the final minute of play. - Made Intermission Music one tune - Semi Transparency of the Song plate in the main menu - Added a Line Change notification between periods. - Big hits can leave a player out of commission for a variable amount of time. - Things I may be forgetting...
Next Update!?
Next week, I am making our V.1 Rosters and they will be debuted next Friday! -Anything Else that I can fit in that won't break the game.
Till Next Time! -Jordan
Gameplay Beta 2 Released V.91
Hello Everyone! Quick Update. I'm working to finalize the Elite Checking Feature (pressing a button that initiates a check, instead of it auto triggering based on initiatives, skill stats, etc). I believe I will finalize it for the Beta Branch in 2 weeks time. Also been working real hard on the League Mode and it's coming along nicely!
As for the update today, I have been playtesting this a lot over the break so I'm fixing somethings that have been bugging me before I drop some of the final features that will be in the game on Full Release.
-Implemented a fix for the slow moving pucks going in. -Removed Coach mode as a selectable option in the control section -Removed Attendance from the VS Screen as it seems it's lying sometimes. -maybe some other things I forgot I fixed.
See you in 2 Weeks for my next update!
-Jordan
Light The Lamp Hockey Gameplay Beta V 0.9 Released
Good Afternoon and Happy Holidays!
Today I am updating LTL Hockey to host a Beta Development Branch. This will house the Last Build V0.81 and The gameplay beta as I call it of Version 0.9
To Enable the LTL Hockey Beta Branch, right click on the game from your library. Go to Properties and then betas. You will then see a drop down and click on the V 0.9 Beta. Please bear in mind that you should probably back up your saves currently before enabling just in case it wipes out your progress.
To play the LTL Hockey Beta. Click the appropriate Launch option then you click play.
And now for what's different!
Gameplay Updates -Better AI, I have been making the AI more aware of their position on the ice and the battles are pretty great! -Manual Passing, Enabled in options, you can now look for your pass recipient for more ease on making a play. -New Dynamics! Desperation plays, goofy plays, Pressure and momentum are considered in game. -Icing is no longer enabled. -Physics reworked
Upcoming Gameplay adjustments. -Manual Checking System, This will make the game a bit more elite skilled with when and how to lay a check on an opponent. More details as it will be developed.
Visual Updates -Adjustments to Menus and overall look. Things move a bit snappier now. Setting up a game is not as cumbersome especially in the 4 player front.
-Zamboni has been added into the game
Sound Updates There are some new music tracks! So please check those out!
Known Issues: -Yes, the beta is only focusing on Play Now mode. Arcade Mode is still available to play in the V.081 Branch -Coach mode does not work, please do not use it currently. -Weird Faceoff Facing glitches after a goal, if you disable replays, should fix itself.
Feedback: Please leave any feedback you may have in the steam forums or discord! I do check those and will get around to responding when I can!
Happy Holidays! And enjoy your time with family as we roll into the new year.
My Goal is to have LTL Hockey at version 1.0 in Q1 -Q2 2024!
