Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 14 Removes Course Mastery System, Will Use Traditional DLC

[Danimal]

IMO this is the likely scenario

1. Hard core players got too many free courses
2. Only the hard core players bought the DLC to begin with
3. It impacted the sales of DLC
4. Use reviews as the reason for removing it.

This quote right here is the WTF part. He is saying their core users liked it but because it reviewed poorly we got rid of it. Even in EA land that doesn't make sense.

Quote:

DeVault said the reaction from the press had prompted a rethink but added that hardcore players - those who were willing to put the time and effort into earning coins and unlocking extra content for free - had enjoyed the option.

[kickingguru]

Quote: Originally Posted by Danimal

IMO this is the likely scenario 1. Hard core players got too many free courses 2. Only the hard core players bought the DLC to begin with 3. It impacted the sales of DLC 4. Use reviews as the reason for removing it. This quote right here is the WTF part. He is saying their core users liked it but because it reviewed poorly we got rid of it. Even in EA land that doesn't make sense.

I believe sir.... you nailed it.....

[kickingguru]

and... I am sure there was some kind of charge to EA every time we downloaded new content we got for free from MS at least...

[Jet Sufferer]

I liked 13 and played it a ton.

I couldn't believe I was getting the DLC for free, I played in a CC and in a few months on PS3 I was able to get all of the courses for free. I remember trying to finish it off quick because I thought EA might change their mind!!

I knew it would be a one year thing, I was shocked last year that EA of all people let me get all those courses for free.

I'll get the edition with the extra courses this year and maybe wait for a sale to get the others, or break down and buy them all early if I like the game enough.

[Jet Sufferer]

Oh, also LOL at the IGN article in the original post. Bashing EA about this disguisting, grinding game to get the courses for free.

Obviously they didn't even understand the system before they used it, and it's a YEAR later and they STILL don't get it.

This was the best thing EA ever did with the DLC in 13, especially for the PS3, I got the upgraded edition with a lot of courses and played the game enough to get all the DLC for free, EA didn't get any DLC money from me!! That's why it's a traditional DLC this year, they actually "gave away" stuff they always charge for!

Video Game Journalism is a joke. They should have been clapping last year, instead they throw a hissy fit over a feature that was FINALLY consumer friendly DLC. SMH!!

More companies should make their DLC as consumer friendly like Tiger 13 was, I doubt it though. Likely this will end up a one time magical miscalculation on EA's part. I'm sure others noticed too, hey, too many people took advantage of this feature!!

[OnlookerDelay]

Quote: Originally Posted by Danimal

IMO this is the likely scenario 1. Hard core players got too many free courses 2. Only the hard core players bought the DLC to begin with 3. It impacted the sales of DLC 4. Use reviews as the reason for removing it.

All of these make sense, but the sad part is that there were a number of reviews bashing the game for its 'grind for DLC' component. Heck, if I was an EA PR rep, I'd certainly be playing that angle to the max, because there is a basis for it. Meanwhile, I would expect the revenues from DLC to be higher for 14 than they were for 13 because of this. If this game turns out to play as well as I suspect it might, I'll be willing to pony up the cash for extra courses, but I'm not representative of the customer base for this game by any stretch. I just wonder how the more casual gamer who might be buying this game of its "Legends of the Majors" feature would view DLC? Probably wouldn't give it a second look...

[mcmax3000]

Quote: Originally Posted by kickingguru

and... I am sure there was some kind of charge to EA every time we downloaded new content we got for free from MS at least...

It's Sony that charges publishers for bandwidth on downloads. MS covers it with the funds from Xbox Live gold. I remember that came up in the past, I believe from a fighting game that offered some kind of free DLC on 360, but not PS3.

[mcmax3000]

I think a lot of game journalists, and many users, didn't take the time to fully explore last year's system.

They saw that EA was charging for coins, played a couple of normal rounds, saw how few coins they earned, and whined that EA was making it too difficult to earn courses in hopes that people would pay for coins.

Those of us that took time to really understand last year's system, found all of the ways you could earn coins, and really enjoyed it.

Unfortunately, a combination of the lower DLC revenues, and the whining seemed to lead to the feature's removal, which is honestly making me significantly less excited about this year's game.