An honest question - 2k21 or TW14

[bigkev]

Re: An honest question - 2k21 or TW14

It's always coming back to the same thing: PGA career mode vs created courses weekend warriors/TGC Tour/societies. And taking away solo societies is making things worse for those wanting to play a PGA career mode.

[MrArlingtonBeach]

Re: An honest question - 2k21 or TW14

It's always coming back to the same thing: PGA career mode vs created courses weekend warriors/TGC Tour/societies. And taking away solo societies is making things worse for those wanting to play a PGA career mode.

Since they removed Solo Societies, HB needed to nail the single player experience in career mode. Sadly, they missed the mark in the area that matters most - tournament results/AI scoring.

Sure, they added a more robust sponsor system, real clubs, more real clothes, customized settings, etc. But none of that matters when leaderboards are inconsistent, and the winner of the event shown during your round isn't the same as the one shown on the leaderboard in the post-event menu.

In my opinion, even though it's not an "official" part of the game, I feel that HB just relies on TGC Tours to act as the "career mode" for this game. Sure, they did put some window dressing on career mode in the game, but not having correct AI scoring defeats all that.

[scagwi]

Re: An honest question - 2k21 or TW14

..leaderboards are inconsistent, and the winner of the event shown during your round isn't the same as the one shown on the leaderboard in the menu.

Seriously - how the hell can they not have nailed that to start with, and/or at the minimum have fixed it by now?

Can that really be that hard to sort?

I mean - correctly showing "who won" is sort of step #1 with any type of competitive sports game.

[MrArlingtonBeach]

Re: An honest question - 2k21 or TW14

Seriously - how the hell can they not have nailed that to start with, and/or at the minimum have fixed it by now?

Can that really be that hard to sort?

I mean - correctly showing "who won" is sort of step #1 with any type of competitive sports game.

The mind remains boggled.

[bigkev]

Re: An honest question - 2k21 or TW14

In my opinion, even though it's not an "official" part of the game, I feel that HB just relies on TGC Tours to act as the "career mode" for this game.

Them and online societies. But TGC Tours are running the show, and it's no wonder HB is catering to them. Without TGC Tours switching to every new game... read many times customers buying the new game right away just because of the TGC Tours. The way they're doing business, they don't have the leaderboard problems and HB seem perfectly fine of not fixing it for the PGA career mode.

[lowpaiddonkey10]

Re: An honest question - 2k21 or TW14

I'd guess maybe he/she meant "more officially licensed courses"?

HB leaves a lot to be desired but course selection real or fantasy is not the problem. Give the user created RCR list a spin. I think they are as good as anything EA dropped.

[scagwi]

Re: An honest question - 2k21 or TW14

HB leaves a lot to be desired but course selection real or fantasy is not the problem. Give the user created RCR list a spin. I think they are as good as anything EA dropped.

Ok but you moved the goalpost from my comment.

Officially licensed courses - there's no denying that TW14 has more of those than any TGC version.

"RCR's" by third parties can be very nice, no question - but they are still not licensed RCR's. Digging around online to find the current "name" for an Augusta recreation that HB hasn't nuked yet -- sucks.

I swear TGC homers (I don't mean you by the way - just speaking generally) don't understand that a lot of people don't care a *lick* about thousands and thousands of rando quality courses. Some of us just want the very best, officially licensed courses for a wonderfully realistic fleshed out career mode.

2k21 has been pushed as a PGA game through and through and that aspect of the game is totally half baked.

HB/2k want the money and interest from PGA oriented golf game fans - but as of yet have been reticent to do the work and investment to fully bake the PGA simulation experience.

So far they haven't even correctly implemented "scoreboards" - smh

[MrArlingtonBeach]

Re: An honest question - 2k21 or TW14

This goes back to another reason I mentioned about why TW14 > PGA 2K21 - the fact that the amazing RCRs available in 2K21 are limited in their use.

I love the fact that great representations of Augusta, St. Andrews, Merion, Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, Erin Hills, etc. are available in 2K21...but, as a pretty much strictly offline solo player, I can only enjoy these courses in local matches. And they removed Solo Societies, so I can't set up my own PGA Tour season. So these great courses now have limited appeal, as I can only enjoy them one round at a time. And to add insult to injury, playing local matches seems to award the lowest amount of XP in the game.

Why a game with a extremely deep course creator won't let you use those created courses in the career mode is such a miss IMO - and I know it's probably due to PGA licensing restrictions, but if you're not gonna let us play as pros anyway, just dump the license and open the game up for complete customization. More than half the career mode schedule is made of fake courses, too!

I don't get it...

[scagwi]

Re: An honest question - 2k21 or TW14

@MrAB

I totally agree

Given what and how they've implemented from the PGA side, I think they should save the licensing money and go with a 2KGA Tour and let the game thrive with a fully unlocked experience that can benefit all the way from third party course (and other!) work.

[OnlookerDelay]

Re: An honest question - 2k21 or TW14

Since they removed Solo Societies, HB needed to nail the single player experience in career mode. Sadly, they missed the mark in the area that matters most - tournament results/AI scoring.

Sure, they added a more robust sponsor system, real clubs, more real clothes, customized settings, etc. But none of that matters when leaderboards are inconsistent, and the winner of the event shown during your round isn't the same as the one shown on the leaderboard in the post-event menu.

In my opinion, even though it's not an "official" part of the game, I feel that HB just relies on TGC Tours to act as the "career mode" for this game. Sure, they did put some window dressing on career mode in the game, but not having correct AI scoring defeats all that.

You've just put the fire out on any desire I may have eventually built towards wanting to play career mode in this game. I can't believe the extent to which its career mode is broken!? With the removal of the Solo Society option, how can they not get this right? This should be an embarrassment to them... something they should desperately be trying to patch, but I sadly get the sense they're not

I'm heavily involved in four different societies right now, and thankfully, that part of the game is working fairly well. I also play a little matchmaking now on the PC version, and the nine hole 1v1 match play and 2v2 9 hole alt-shot competitions are working fairly well right now. I stick to the PC version for 2V2 matches because the XBox One base tends to bail on the match when they get on the tee and see that they didn't get the pairing they were after. Still, skins and scramble play are pretty much broken in private matchmaking, and here again, I suspect they're never going to fix it.... (sigh)

[MrArlingtonBeach]

Re: An honest question - 2k21 or TW14

You've just put the fire out on any desire I may have eventually built towards wanting to play career mode in this game. I can't believe the extent to which its career mode is broken!? With the removal of the Solo Society option, how can they not get this right? This should be an embarrassment to them... something they should desperately be trying to patch, but I sadly get the sense they're not

To HB's credit, they did add some interesting ideas and polish to career mode. The presentation is good, sponsor goals with unlockable gear is a nice add, the real tournaments are shown just like they would be in real life with on-course details highlighted (like the Snake Pit statue at the Copperhead Course, for example), a money list is included, as is fairly deep stat tracking, etc.

But the fact that the leaderboards are so glitchy means you cannot play more than a 1- or 2-round event. In a 3- or 4-round event, AI scores will either be way too low or too high depending on your skill level settings, cut lines will be all over the place, leaderboard positions will change for no apparent reason between rounds, and, of course, there's the phantom tourney winner issue I mentioned before. Also, the game absolutely wastes the licenses of individual pros - I turned off the terribly annoying and inaccurate highlight cutscenes in the week the game was released. With those off, the only role they have is on the leaderboard and as "rivals", which is just another silly way to unlock gear.

If you're OK with all events having no more than 2 rounds, and want to unlock the clubs and clothes hidden behind sponsorships and rivalries, career mode has it's moments. But if you're looking for a realistic representation of the PGA Tour, complete with 4-round events, fully functioning leaderboards, and total immersion, it's not worth it.

[scagwi]

Re: An honest question - 2k21 or TW14

How is it that none of the golf games to date have done a "play alongside the pros" real time live leaderboard/tournament thing that syncs up with what the real pros are doing in a given week?

seems so freaking fun!

[lowpaiddonkey10]

Re: An honest question - 2k21 or TW14

I understand the criticism from you guys that care about career and all that really. Since I only play solo rounds and on occasion with a ghost the game is fine with me. I would like to see EA give it another go same as everyone else.

[MrArlingtonBeach]

Re: An honest question - 2k21 or TW14

How is it that none of the golf games to date have done a "play alongside the pros" real time live leaderboard/tournament thing that syncs up with what the real pros are doing in a given week?

seems so freaking fun!

It was actually done in the Tiger Woods series with the "Play the Pros" mode...this is a press release for TW TWELVE:

https://www.ea.com/en-au/news/tiger-woods-12-masters-online-live-tournaments

"Play the Pros.

Just like the 2011 Masters, real PGA TOUR events will be available for you to play. The leaderboards will be the same as real life and are updated in real time as the event is being played."

Crazy how we are NINE years removed from TW12, and features in that game are nowhere to be seen in today's releases.

[capa]

Re: An honest question - 2k21 or TW14

I am a casual golf fan and player. I will tell you this, if there was a game that allowed you to play alongside the pros, whoever you are paired with in a tourney, I would buy the game in a minute.

To actually make your shot and then watch the pro make his for 18 holes would be awesome. Yes, rounds would take longer but the immersion effect, coupled with a real leader board, would be incredible. Much better than ghost players or playing solo rounds.

C