PGA TOUR 2K21 Introduces Divot Derby - New Multiplayer Mode Available Today

[MrArlingtonBeach]

Re: PGA TOUR 2K21 Introduces Divot Derby - New Multiplayer Mode Available Today

Do the balls ricochet off each other if they happen to make contact, though? That would actually be really fun (potentially) - someone hits a leaner and you hit it into their ball and knock it 50 feet out. It would be hard to do of course, but when it happens, that'd be kind of a fun wrinkle.

They do not, at least in the game I played. Putts passed thru each other.

The other thing I've noticed about the mode is that, if you don't get a match with 20 people, they fill the rest of the spots up with AI bots. You can see that there will be players in the session with generic "real names", like a first and last name, while all the actual users have their gamertags shown.

[OnlookerDelay]

Re: PGA TOUR 2K21 Introduces Divot Derby - New Multiplayer Mode Available Today

The other thing I've noticed about the mode is that, if you don't get a match with 20 people, they fill the rest of the spots up with AI bots. You can see that there will be players in the session with generic "real names", like a first and last name, while all the actual users have their gamertags shown.

I noticed that when I played it again tonight. I watched a couple of AI bots play after I was eliminated after the third hole, and I noticed that they played a fairly believable game. Then I thought to myself... if they can create AI bot players and represent their progress as ghost ball players in this game mode, why can't the create AI bot players that play rounds, shot-by-shot, for Career mode players? It would make it more interesting and it might clean up some of the spread sheet reporting and tracking gaffs!

[kehlis]

Re: PGA TOUR 2K21 Introduces Divot Derby - New Multiplayer Mode Available Today

I noticed that when I played it again tonight. I watched a couple of AI bots play after I was eliminated after the third hole, and I noticed that they played a fairly believable game. Then I thought to myself... if they can create AI bot players and represent their progress as ghost ball players in this game mode, why can't the create AI bot players that play rounds, shot-by-shot, for Career mode players? It would make it more interesting and it might clean up some of the spread sheet reporting and tracking gaffs!

Just imagine being able to go shot for shot with a bot on a Sunday when one of you is chasing the other for the lead.

[OnlookerDelay]

Re: PGA TOUR 2K21 Introduces Divot Derby - New Multiplayer Mode Available Today

Just imagine being able to go shot for shot with a bot on a Sunday when one of you is chasing the other for the lead.

Exactly, this is a situation under which I would opt to play with a bot in career mode! It seems to me like HB Studios underestimates how important career mode is to a sizeable share of the user base. As is stands, the career mode in TGC and now PGA TOUR 2K21 is so isolated and statistically broken, I have no desire to try to get back into it.

I was a huge fan of career mode in PGA Championship Golf 2000 on the PC because you could play career mode rounds with fully animated bots who were built on attribute based models, when desired. Neither EA Sports or HB Studios have come close to matching that experience in their career modes since.

[pietasterp]

Re: PGA TOUR 2K21 Introduces Divot Derby - New Multiplayer Mode Available Today

I just don't get how they can spend so much energy on stuff like this, but can't seem to find time (or figure out) how to fix the leaderboards?

At some point, I think it's fair to wonder whether the reason is because they simply can't figure it out because they're not good enough programmers/developers, or they are so under-resourced that it isn't possible. Either way, the career mode is a disgrace.

Exactly, this is a situation under which I would opt to play with a bot in career mode! It seems to me like HB Studios underestimates how important career mode is to a sizeable share of the user base. As is stands, the career mode in TGC and now PGA TOUR 2K21 is so isolated and statistically broken, I have no desire to try to get back into it.

I was a huge fan of career mode in PGA Championship Golf 2000 on the PC because you could play career mode rounds with fully animated bots who were built on attribute based models, when desired. Neither EA Sports or HB Studios have come close to matching that experience in their career modes since.

I'm constantly amazed at how, unlike virtually any other genre of video game in existence, sports games have somehow gotten worse and less "feature-rich" over time as technology and games as a whole have gotten so much better. I hate to be like one of those guys in the 80's that would constantly talk about how "rock is dead' and "too bad you missed it!", but that's sort of how I feel about sports games in 2021.

(By the way, those guys back in the day were right: rock is dead.)

[jbd345]

Re: PGA TOUR 2K21 Introduces Divot Derby - New Multiplayer Mode Available Today

At some point, I think it's fair to wonder whether the reason is because they simply can't figure it out because they're not good enough programmers/developers, or they are so under-resourced that it isn't possible. Either way, the career mode is a disgrace.

I agree 50/50 with you here, probably most patches are being developed from home so who knows if they’re even aware of the issue.

[MrArlingtonBeach]

Re: PGA TOUR 2K21 Introduces Divot Derby - New Multiplayer Mode Available Today

I agree 50/50 with you here, probably most patches are being developed from home so who knows if they’re even aware of the issue.

According to 2K support, the devs are aware of the issues in career mode with the glitched leaderboards, at least as of the time I sent them a issue ticket about it a week or so ago. But they had to know about it before that. It's been all over these forums, the HB forums, the 2K forums, etc.