OMG!! EA Ruins Game For Offline Play!

[starship]

In previous versions of TW I liked to play with the CPU Pros in team matches like bloodsome, alternate shot, etc.

Well, today I found out that none of the CPU players in TW 10, pro or otherwise, ever miss a shot! Every drive is in the middle of the fairway, every approach shot on the green and 90+% of the putts made for birdie. I switched difficulty from Pro Tour to Amateur and there was no change at all--every shot was still perfect.

I then picked one of those stupid characters (the girl in the western jean shorts), and set up a stroke match at Bethpage, with maximum wind and rain. The result? After 8 holes this doofus was 8 under par. Eight straight drives in the fairway; eight straight perfect approach shots to the green; 8 straight one putts.

In the past there was enough variety and challenge to the computer pros that it was fun to play with them ( the fake ones were too easy) but no more! The stock in this game just went down considerably for me, and what really angers me is that they took something that may have only needed to be slightly tweaked and screwed it up completely.

So unless you like to watch every CPU golfer go 15-18 under par on every course in any kind of weather every single time, avoid the side games like the plague.

[baa7]

Re: OMG!! EA Ruins Game For Offline Play!

Interesting, I was thinking the exact opposite yesterday while playing the first challenge at St. Andrews. The Paula Creamer CPU character missed greens and landed in traps, and gave me plenty of opportunities to win the hole. And this was on Tour difficulty. I thought it was really well done.

[starship]

Re: OMG!! EA Ruins Game For Offline Play!

Interesting, I was thinking the exact opposite yesterday while playing the first challenge at St. Andrews. The Paula Creamer CPU character missed greens and landed in traps, and gave me plenty of opportunities to win the hole. And this was on Tour difficulty. I thought it was really well done.

I played that challenge several times before winning, and I had the same thoughts as you. It wasn't until I started playing other computer characters in things like greensome that I fully realized how their play was near-perfect at all times. In fact, I have yet to see a bogey from a computer player. It's either a birdie (usually) or a putt that misses by inches resulting in a par. Very frustrating.

[OnlookerDelay]

Re: OMG!! EA Ruins Game For Offline Play!

Interesting, I was thinking the exact opposite yesterday while playing the first challenge at St. Andrews. The Paula Creamer CPU character missed greens and landed in traps, and gave me plenty of opportunities to win the hole. And this was on Tour difficulty. I thought it was really well done.

The Tournament Challenges are recreations of an actual round that the players featured in them played in real life. Paula's round isn't a CPU player, thinking and playing on their own. It's an actual animated recreation of her round. She does the same thing everytime you play, IOW.

[starship]

Re: OMG!! EA Ruins Game For Offline Play!

The Tournament Challenges are recreations of an actual round that the players featured in them played in real life. Paula's round isn't a CPU player, thinking and playing on their own. It's an actual animated recreation of her round. She does the same thing everytime you play, IOW.

Not true. I played Pak twice at Turnberry. The first time I was leading by 3 with 4 to play. Over the last 4 holes her results were: birdie, eagle, birdie, eagle. On the last hole she pitched a shot in from the rough, where the ball landed in the hole from the air! Naturally, she won.

The next time, I was only leading by 1 going into the final 4. This time she went birdie, par, birdie, birdie. On the last hole she was on the fringe, and putt it in from there. Obviously it wasn't necessary for her to go into GOD MODE until later in the round. There was no resemblance to the two rounds, other than you have to birdie (or maybe even eagle) every late round hole to have any kind of chance to win.

That said, I've played my last tournament challenge, as it's a waste of time and effort.
I hope the career tournaments are somewhat fair; otherwise this goes back to Gamestop ASAP.

[kerosene31]

Re: OMG!! EA Ruins Game For Offline Play!

I agree. Even the random characters (the woman with the winter hat and purple pants, etc) have really high ratings. They are just as good as the pros which doesn't make sense. There's no difference in playing Tiger or playing the goth woman. They both are birdie machines. I think Bjorklund's ratings are all 10+

When I was learning 09 (I never played before that) I would set up a bunch of matches with the lower characters to build up my confidence (and make money). Now, they are birdie and eagle machines.

By the way, this isn't really about the tourney challenges, but just setting up offline games with the CPU (stroke play, bingo bango, etc).

Whenever I learn a new course, I would pick an easy CPU player as an opponent.

[baa7]

Re: OMG!! EA Ruins Game For Offline Play!

The Tournament Challenges are recreations of an actual round that the players featured in them played in real life. Paula's round isn't a CPU player, thinking and playing on their own. It's an actual animated recreation of her round. She does the same thing everytime you play, IOW.

No, that's not correct. I've been tracking their shots, and sometimes they'll birdie a hole, and then next time I play the Challenge they par the same hole. Pak even bogeyed one hole she birdied and pared several times previously.

[baa7]

Re: OMG!! EA Ruins Game For Offline Play!

Not true. I played Pak twice at Turnberry...

Oops, didn't see that, lol.

[baa7]

Re: OMG!! EA Ruins Game For Offline Play!

I played that challenge several times before winning, and I had the same thoughts as you. It wasn't until I started playing other computer characters in things like greensome that I fully realized how their play was near-perfect at all times.

Okay, I can see that might be the case. If so, that's a disappointment for sure.

[baa7]

Re: OMG!! EA Ruins Game For Offline Play!

Starship, I just played a stroke play round against CPU Goosen, blue tees. He shot a 63 with one bogey. He hit all fairways, but missed four approach shots, hitting bunkers twice and overshooting the green twice. Two other approach shots that hit the green came up 40-50 short of the pin. And he hit the water once. The longest putt, other than a questionable 25 footer, was maybe 12 feet. He sank all his short putts, but missed an 8 foot and a 12 foot putt. All in all, not a bad variety of shots and situations for a CPU opponent.

From what I just saw, I agree the CPU programming is super tough. But believe me, I'd rather have a challenge like that, than have to put up with some of the lousy CPU AI programming that's been in past versions of this and other golf games. Given I was playing blue tees, that same round would no doubt translate into -4 or -5 from the black tees. That's a tough but very decent challenge IMO.

[kerosene31]

Re: OMG!! EA Ruins Game For Offline Play!

The problem is that Goosen is the exact same skill as the guy in the pink bunny suit. Seriously.

I fully expect PGA Tour pros to be tough, but I don't expect the oddball characters to be unbeatable as well.

There's no progression. I think if I set up an offline foursome with myself, Tiger, the guy in the pink bunny suit and the woman in the winter hat, that Tiger would have a tough time winning.

[OnlookerDelay]

Re: OMG!! EA Ruins Game For Offline Play!

Sorry for putting out bum skinny. I reckon I'm totally out to lunch on some of the Tournament Challenges. They must not all be replays of actual play then. It took me three times to beat Paula Creamer, and it seemed like each time, she left herself the same long eagle putt on the par 5, and wound up 3-putting every time.

I beat Se Ri Pak on the first go, so I didn't have the benefit of seeing that one more than once.

[NC State-31 UNC-27]

Re: OMG!! EA Ruins Game For Offline Play!

I agree about the offline matches against the CPU, the non-tourney challenge matches at least.

I played a skins game and a stroke play match against the CPU and they were just lights out. Doesn't irk me too much because I know I won't play those modes very often but I definitely noticed it.

[bigal093]

Re: OMG!! EA Ruins Game For Offline Play!

Sorry for putting out bum skinny. I reckon I'm totally out to lunch on some of the Tournament Challenges. They must not all be replays of actual play then. It took me three times to beat Paula Creamer, and it seemed like each time, she left herself the same long eagle putt on the par 5, and wound up 3-putting every time.

I beat Se Ri Pak on the first go, so I didn't have the benefit of seeing that one more than once.

Some challenges are identical shots, others arent....it depends and u can usually find out if u restart.

[bigal093]

Re: OMG!! EA Ruins Game For Offline Play!

I agree about the offline matches against the CPU, the non-tourney challenge matches at least.

I played a skins game and a stroke play match against the CPU and they were just lights out. Doesn't irk me too much because I know I won't play those modes very often but I definitely noticed it.

ITS LIKE THAT FOR THE PGA TOUR SEASON TOO AND TOURNAMENT CHALLENGE........ALL GAME MODES............what a waste of effort by EA.....o wait there wasnt any effort.