NHLX - An EHM Database

BKarchitect · Post by **BKarchitect** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 2:35 am

NHLX HAS ARRIVED!

Happy 2022 everyone! I'm pretty excited to announce that the NHLX database for EHM has officially dropped. See the preview video below and be sure to visit the website:

https://ehm-nhlx.wixsite.com/nhlx

There is just way, way too much for me to go over in a post on a forum. So I've developed the website to go into great detail on all the ways NHLX has evolved to bring an immersive hockey sim experience to EHM that is fully based on reality but offers exciting tweaks, additions and scenarios. From top to bottom this database has been completely rebuilt to bring together all the ideas that have originated from over a decade of EHM database editing and tinkering and includes a fully integrated graphics package including ALL logos in the game and my EHM skin - now rebranded to match as the NHLX Skin.

It's not available on Steam. I may make that jump at some point but for now check out the website for the initial release downloads and installation instructions. It's really not hard - and I take you through the process step-by-step including the graphics.

I'll be continually updating and improving and won't always announce new releases unless they are big...but expect weekly - if not more frequent - updates of the database for download.

Comments are appreciated. I've run all leagues on fully enhanced mode through the 2050's and no critical errors yet. So it's performing well. And again - if you have questions - please give the website a look, especially the Installation instructions and the NHLX Features drop-down which goes into painstaking details on every change, modification and feature of this database.

Thanks to the entire EHM community! This thread will serve as the feedback / comments thread and is where you will be linked to if you click Interact / Feedback on the NHLX website.

NHLX Change-Log
2022-01-16: NHLX v1.1 initial release (Database, Logo Pack, Skin)
2022-01-17: NHLX v1.1 minor update (WHL trade deadline, other transactions, Lambert, Kuhlman, club colors)
2022-01-18: NHLX v1.1 minor update (Staff wage issue)
2022-02-05: NHLX v1.2 update: https://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/v ... 65#p244865
2022-02-17: NHLX v1.2 update: https://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/v ... 21#p244921
2022-03-10: NHLX v1.3 update: https://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/v ... 62#p244962
2022-03-15: NHLX v1.3 update: https://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/v ... 62#p244962

Post by **ideawithoutamind** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 8:06 am

WOAAAH!

Kudos man! Looks awesome! I was looking to release my Global United Hockey sometime soon, but I may take some time and play this for a bit!

Glad to see you with an official release again, and looks awesome!

If you want any name generation or prospect generators for the international stuff, let me know. I'm getting a good grasp on creating/generating players for lower leagues as well.

Filip Croatia · Post by **Filip Croatia** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 4:13 pm

This NHL X database is great ! I can say I played DLC's from various games that costs 10 or more bucks with less content.

One thing I noticed that from most teams are missing their retired numbers ?!

Post by **archibalduk** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 4:34 pm

This is absolutely incredible! Not only the breadth and depth of the database but also how polished it looks with the custom graphics plus the website and Youtube video.

BKarchitect · Post by **BKarchitect** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 4:55 pm

Yeah there are some items like retired numbers, real staff, vetting National team rivalries, updating CHL draft swaps that aren’t done yet. I’ve definitely made it a point not to take from TBL but for some simple stuff like the retired numbers I might see if xECK is cool with me grabbing from his config

Also just don’t expect the level of detail with league history and staff history and super accurate league finance rules that TBL/Pivot excels at - that’s simply not my focus with this database.

But I’m happy with it as an overall experience thus far.

Filip Croatia · Post by **Filip Croatia** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 5:12 pm

BKarchitect wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 4:55 pm Also just don’t expect the level of detail with league history and staff history and super accurate league finance rules that TBL/Pivot excels at - that’s simply not my focus with this database.

Don't worry about that at all, but retired numbers are sensitive thing, at least to me, I would have hard time to see someone in Colorado wearing 19, or 17 in CSKA

I just started save with KHL Sisak in Balkan league. And btw, change their colour to green from black

https://www.facebook.com/khlsisak/photo ... 952565998/ it is green like on jersey

Game is already addictive enough, and with this DB I think I can quit my job, at least I am not in the relationship, so no danger there....

BKarchitect · Post by **BKarchitect** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 5:48 pm

Oh yeah definitely if I need to adjust club colors let me know, I vetted things pretty well (even adjusted all NHL teams to their actual RGB Pantone shades) but I’m sure I missed some!

Retired numbers found at least the NHL are on the to do list.

Sisak's website and logo is purple and green yet the jerseys and logo on the jerseys is blue and green. What do I go with?

BKarchitect · Post by **BKarchitect** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 6:03 pm

Also - as y'all can tell - while I've done my homework pretty thoroughly for all leagues in this database - I'm not a native to where everybody is from. Colors and graphics are a big, big deal to me so definitely let me know where tweaks are needed. I'm also willing to entertain updated or alternate identities for clubs - I'm not bound by making everything 100% true to life of course. But...it has to look good

Filip Croatia · Post by **Filip Croatia** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 6:32 pm

BKarchitect wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 5:48 pm jerseys is blue and green. What do I go with?

Go with blue and green

Filip Croatia · Post by **Filip Croatia** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 8:31 pm

And one more thing regarding Sisak, change their ice condition from bad to good. I was there and ice is ok

BKarchitect · Post by **BKarchitect** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 9:20 pm

MGSPORTS · Post by **MGSPORTS** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 12:01 am

Good you added KC but could of gave Topeka Affiliate with KC. Did you think about a Southeast Team City? Also making League Division Geographical because have tryed to do that with NHL League but can't get Schedule to be updated?

BKarchitect · Post by **BKarchitect** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 12:40 am

MGSPORTS wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 12:01 am Good you added KC but could of gave Topeka Affiliate with KC. Did you think about a Southeast Team City? Also making League Division Geographical because have tryed to do that with NHL League but can't get Schedule to be updated?

I live in Kansas City and I've lived in Topeka. Topeka is far too small and naff to get an AHL club or even an IHL/ECHL club to be honest. When they had the Scarecrows playing like CHL hockey - that was about the level for them. Or the NAHL.

I thought about returning the Thrashers but I only had 4 slots. Atlanta at least got bumped up to the AHL (and there is some discussion of this in real life as well).

I'm pretty dead set against changing my four NHL additions but am always willing to listen to arguments

BKarchitect · Post by **BKarchitect** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 12:43 am

I updated the databases for today - if you see the change log on the opening post. I will update very frequently - sometimes daily - but unless it's a big change, I'll just add a changelog item with some 'keywords' and not really post about it. Sometimes I will update daily when I can get around to it, other times not so much when life happens. But it will generally be frequently.

TepNum27 · Post by **TepNum27** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 12:59 pm

Firstly, I got to say what a great database BKarchitect! I have a keen eye on details so I finally decided to create a profile after years of lurking and now I can share my observations (If xECK29x wants to have Japanese university teams with proper colours and info, I can share them.)

But now to NHLX. I'll try to keep it brief.

Clubs:
Clubs
- Bulgarian and South Korean teams don't have affiliation between domestic and junior.
- Sapporo Foxes don't have Makomanai as their ice hall, they have Smehallen.
- Following domestic hockey clubs don't have arenas: North Korea, Turkmenistan
- Following junior hockey clubs don't have arenas: Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Kenya, Kuwait, North Korea, South Africa, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates
- Dynamo St. Petersburg has short name as Dyanmo SPb.
- Rivalries: Since Chinese teams already have rivalries between each other, the rest of Asia Super League should have as well (Korean, Northern Japan and Tokyo-Yokohama-Nikko region teams).

Competitions:
Club competitions
- Nordic Cup has short name only as "c".
- Should Canadian Prep School Hockey be classified as Domestic High School instead of Domestic Junior?
- ICEHL, Vanek Cup, abbreviation to Aut instead of Aus.

Geography:
Nations
- Missing citizenship years (based on db style): Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Namibia, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand
- Serbia: abbreviation to SRB instead of SCG (same for both national and domestic teams, too)

People:
Players and Staff
- Ty Hurley has player role as Defenceman: Defensive (finesse). Should it be the same but for winger?
Staff Awards
- Asia Super League playoff MVP has short name playodff MVP.

And lastly suggestion for the Finnish hockey.

Instead of relegating JYP and SaiPa (who have played many years in Liiga) to Mestis, it would be more logical to relegate the latest three promoted clubs to Liiga (Vaasan Sport, Kouvolan KooKoo and Mikkelin Jukurit) and promote Kiekko-Espoo (Espoon Blues played over 20 seasons in Liiga) to Liiga to make sure that Uusimaa, most populous region in Finland, has a club in Liiga after Jokerit and HIFK went to Europa Super League in this database.

It would be a lot fairer this way since the last three promotions were based on promotion applications and financial criteria. The promotions were done three years in a row so it would be better to group them together in this case.

Filip Croatia · Post by **Filip Croatia** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 2:02 pm

One more thing regarding Sisak roster - Patrik Dobrić - is D/F. He plays both positions, this season mostly as forward

BKarchitect · Post by **BKarchitect** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 4:02 pm

Thanks for the feedback guys! Little errors will be fixed immediately. You certainly have an eye for detail TepNum27 - and I appreciate that you have framed the comments in the context of this database, which obviously has deviated from reality in many areas. But lots of valid points I will clean up. I fixed the nation citizenship thing already...I can't even believe you noticed something that small and that contectual within the strategy of this database. Wow. But great!

Bigger questions of like Finnish league structure - I just have a hard time demoting a club like Jukurit who are doing so well this year and have some really quality players even if only for temporarily this season. I get the desire to have Espoo back in Liiga, I even considered rebranding them back the Blues. I’ll consider and as a non-Finn definitely take it under consideration. One thing to consider though is if K-Espoo start in Liiga with their current roster they will almost assuredly get relegated. So is it accomplishing much?

As I will also take into consideration from others who think their home nation domestic setup should be structured slightly differently, based on...well...living or being in that country and following hockey for years. I'm not bound by reality. I can even bring famous clubs back from the dead if we want. Like Espoo Blues.

Post by **xECK29x** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 5:32 pm

TepNum27 wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 12:59 pm If xECK29x wants to have Japanese university teams with proper colours and info, I can share them

Yes please!

Post by **xECK29x** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 5:32 pm

BKarchitect wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 4:55 pm but for some simple stuff like the retired numbers I might see if xECK is cool with me grabbing from his config

Pull whatever you need

Post by **archibalduk** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 6:04 pm

I might have a bit of a play around with the UK league structures in the DB just for my own fun (although I'll gladly share my work if it's of interest). I've always wanted to see something similar to how British hockey was structured prior to the 2000s where there was proper promotion/relegation right from the top to the bottom of the British structure - and by this I mean I've always wanted to do something with say the 92/93 or 98/99 DB to reflect this but have never found the time. Maybe something akin to how the British Ice Hockey Superleague started out in 97/98 with teams like the Ayr Scottish Eagles and Bracknell Bees who were some of the best teams of that era and then with a feeder league or two sat beneath.

Btw I think the Channel Cup is superb touch!

TepNum27 · Post by **TepNum27** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 6:09 pm

You're welcome BKarchitect! It was nice to help. The first time I really noticed the missing citizenship years could have effect was when I was playing for many years one save and one player who played for years in Japan didn't get dual nationality (and Japan had a few dual nationalities at the start). I usually like to play a more smaller nations in international hockey so it's important to have them correct for all nations.

Formerly Liiga had only 12 teams and there have been lately discussions about the quality of Liiga for a while so 12 teams could probably be thought as proper amount. The biggest problem being that Liiga got to relegate two teams as a only major non-KHL league in Europe in this database which of course is a reason for discussion but I got to say that I like more uniform league structure across the Europe. Also it's perhaps better to keep Kiekko-Espoo as Kiekko-Espoo because Espoon Blues used to be known as Kiekko-Espoo and it could be viewed as cyclical return to the beginning. And there are many teams like from DEL Hamburg Freezers, Frankfurt Lions and Kassel Huskies which were successful in their own right but have ceased operations. Perhaps the reviving of former teams could be thought as a solution if there's a case for a farm league for ESL or a further ESL expansion?

xECK29x wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 5:32 pm
TepNum27 wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 12:59 pm If xECK29x wants to have Japanese university teams with proper colours and info, I can share them
Yes please!

Alright. I'll go through my information just in case for mistakes. Do you send me the message on how to go on with this since I'm newly registered user?

BKarchitect · Post by **BKarchitect** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 6:23 pm

Yeah I really wanted to encourage the international feel so for those who haven't done a deep dive yet - most nations in NHLX have a citizenship period of 2 years now. This will (or should in theory) encourage lower level players from stronger nations who end up in the domestic leagues of these smaller nations to eventually be national-team eligible for them. It should help "puff up" the lower nations talent pool.

I also cheated and switched nationalities for many real players who have a dual-citizenship or background from a different country. So if you are wondering why Milan Lucic is suiting up for Serbia or the Subbans are playing for Jamaica - that's the reason. Now - I didn't do it with key players or prospects who are good enough to represent say Canada or the USA internationally. So the Nick and Ryan Suzuki are still Canadian (with Japanese secondary) and Jason and Nick Robertson are still American (with The Philippines as secondary). But the Sherwood brothers (fringe NHL players) I have set to Japan. I wouldn't have changed Lucic or PK Subban were they in their prime - but they are to the point where they are unlikely to be chosen for Canada.

Just a little inside the thought process with that...

BKarchitect · Post by **BKarchitect** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 6:25 pm

archibalduk wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 6:04 pm Post by archibalduk » Tue Jan 18, 2022 12:04 pm

I might have a bit of a play around with the UK league structures in the DB just for my own fun (although I'll gladly share my work if it's of interest). I've always wanted to see something similar to how British hockey was structured prior to the 2000s where there was proper promotion/relegation right from the top to the bottom of the British structure - and by this I mean I've always wanted to do something with say the 92/93 or 98/99 DB to reflect this but have never found the time. Maybe something akin to how the British Ice Hockey Superleague started out in 97/98 with teams like the Ayr Scottish Eagles and Bracknell Bees who were some of the best teams of that era and then with a feeder league or two sat beneath.

Btw I think the Channel Cup is superb touch!

I know I ruined the poor British-centric focus of the game lol. Britain and France were kind of the last cuts from the two-tier system. I may explore expanding them back at some point to at least two levels at some point. But I want to be careful not to start deviating from the slimmed down nature of the overall league structure in the game.

Post by **archibalduk** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 6:59 pm

BKarchitect wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 6:25 pmthe poor British-centric focus of the game lol.

Haha so true!

Post by **xECK29x** » Tue Jan 18, 2022 8:26 pm

TepNum27 wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 6:09 pm Do you send me the message on how to go on with this since I'm newly registered user?

You can send me a friend request on Steam or Discord if you are there and on EHM Community.