EA Sports PGA TOUR Impressions (Console)

[golfnut67]

Not nearly as brutal as I expected, mostly intelligent, truthful comments about what's going on here.

I literally don't know at this point what this patch accomplished other than the things it nerfed or took away. Crazy.

[MrArlingtonBeach]

Quote: Originally Posted by golfnut67

Not nearly as brutal as I expected, mostly intelligent, truthful comments about what's going on here.

There were a couple people sniping at each other, and mods had to step in. Not sure where that was, but there were mentions of EA being too sim, and someone wanting it to play more like Mario Golf...you know, things like that. Haha.

[golfnut67]

Ok just saw this on the EA board...if this is happening for everyone, this is *really* bad:

"After a few rounds of online stroke play and their decision to randomize the 9 holes seems to be losing track of what they randomize. At least 2 of the 4 games I played, I wasn't playing the holes listed on the scorecard. I only noticed because I eagled a par 5 but the score card tracked it as a par 3 so I got par instead of -2 but then on the scorecard par 5 I was shooting at a par 3...almost got a condor, but as it was I got bird but albatross for the scorecard. It may have happened on the other two games, I just didn't notice if they were all correct pars, just wrong holes."

Wow if so.

[golfnut67]

Quote: Originally Posted by MrArlingtonBeach

There were a couple people sniping at each other, and mods had to step in. Not sure where that was, but there were mentions of EA being too sim, and someone wanting it to play more like Mario Golf...you know, things like that. Haha.

Ya I saw that. The guy calling for Arcade modes to be more prevalent. Gimme a break.

[Dawgfan1]

I have some thoughts about the latest patch - hopefully my perspective is valuable here.

First off, maybe it's the benefit of lowered expectations but I really didn't expect anything from the note about St Andrews lie %s being changed. It read to me as nothing more than minor tweaks, the only way to get significant lie %s on that course is with a 6 iron or longer. Maybe it wasn't that way before, not sure. If they were to fix the lie %s it'd probably have to be an overall change and not at one course. But yeah, lie %s for short irons and wedges in rough/heavy rough are still unpunishing, still my #1 issue, and no sign of it ever being fixed.

The cup physics also still aren't fixed, I've played in a couple competitive tournaments on this game and seeing so many BS lip outs has gotten fairly annoying, it's now my #2 issue with this game. This is one they've said they're working on so it will come at one point (will it 100% fix it? who knows), but man is it taking awhile.

Now on the things they *did* change, I sometimes play this game competitively (thanks for the eSports tourney link months back Beach, I played in that and it was very fun) and have played with others who do the same so I can give some explanation for why I think the balancing changes they did are actually (mostly) good.

The putting grid - first off it did change the grid size, my putting skill is at 5 with my competitive-tailored golfer and the grid is now bigger than pre-patch. Many people who play this game competitively barely put anything into the putting skill at all. The only thing upgrading it did previously was lower dispersion and RNG (which was already hard to notice), and give you Texas Wedge. There was really little reason to use skill points on it past getting Texas Wedge. Now there is much more incentive to upgrade it - it makes reading greens easier. I can still read the green somewhat well now, but it's harder unless I put more into my Putting skill. This is honestly my favorite change in the entire patch, I love it. It might feel jarring but I think there'd be much less uproar about this if it was this way from day one. I hope EA doesn't cave and go back on this.

The shot dispersion changes I mostly like. Finesse now has similar shot dispersion to approach and drive (par 3 tee shots) so it's not as OP as it used to be. Personally I'd like if it was increased slightly more, but the risk-reward of using it over approach/drive is better now. Knock Down is better which I like, I didn't see many people use it before, and Stinger is more reliable which I also like because whenever I used it I felt like it went far left or right too much.

The changes to Blast and Pick I'm not sure how to feel about. Pick was made worse for lower skilled golfers which is good, but I felt it needed to be made worse for *all* skills. Blast's dispersion is tiny now and it does make it much less of a dice roll shot, I guess they felt like Pick was mostly fine and just wanted Blast to be as good as it? I feel like bunker shots should be harder than this, but also maybe the way the dispersion is now is fine and there's other ways to make bunker play harder that should be pursued (introducing plugging, increased lie penalties, etc.).

Overall I have mixed feelings. I'm mostly happy with the changes they did make, these balancing changes were lower on my list of issues but still on there nonetheless. But it's another patch with little changes to my most core issues, and of course new bugs and glitches are coming up as always, and there are still so many that aren't fixed (commentary referencing issues, cup physics, AI, etc.). To me the game is still what it's always been - fun but with so many issues.

[golfnut67]

What you said at the end of a great post is so perfect and concise:

"To me the game is still what it's always been - fun but with so many issues."

If the thread for this game ever gets shut down in the future, or simply ignored as most game threads do as time rushes by, the above quote from you should be the Sticky for closing the thread.

Well struck.

[MrArlingtonBeach]

Quote: Originally Posted by Dawgfan1

I have some thoughts about the latest patch - hopefully my perspective is valuable here. ... The putting grid - first off it did change the grid size, my putting skill is at 5 with my competitive-tailored golfer and the grid is now bigger than pre-patch. Many people who play this game competitively barely put anything into the putting skill at all. The only thing upgrading it did previously was lower dispersion and RNG (which was already hard to notice), and give you Texas Wedge. There was really little reason to use skill points on it past getting Texas Wedge. Now there is much more incentive to upgrade it - it makes reading greens easier. I can still read the green somewhat well now, but it's harder unless I put more into my Putting skill. This is honestly my favorite change in the entire patch, I love it. It might feel jarring but I think there'd be much less uproar about this if it was this way from day one. I hope EA doesn't cave and go back on this.

Of course your perspective is valuable, and appreciated!

One thing I'm interested...do you putt with the grid beads on?

I have 7 sections of my putting skill filled out, and use only the grid with no beads. I have noticed zero difference in the size of the grid squares, and I compared it to the grid in screenshots I took pre-patch. They are the same for me.

At the end of the day, I am glad they are updating the game as frequently as they have. But this patch really seems like a whole lot of nothing to me. I played a full 18-hole round in career mode at the PGA Championship and, other than the scoreboard working again, it was the same as it ever was. No changes to the grid...shots felt the same...I don't use the arc, so no biggie there...if I'd gone in blind and was asked what was changed about the game after the patch, I'd not be able to offer much.

Problem is...there's still much to fix/correct/add. The store is a waste, with only 3 new items added this time (arguably, none of them are any good). There's no Pro Pass this season. Lie ranges are the same and don't have any real effect. Cup physics stink. There's some questionable stuff going on with online/tournaments that golfnut67 mentioned above, related to the random holes used in events (I can't confirm if that's true, but wouldn't be surprised).

Lately, I've really had to convince myself to keep firing this game up...which is tough because there's a lot I like about it. It's just certain things keep it from really digging its claws into me. I get very brief enjoyment out of it, but that fades after a quick career round or a daily tournament. Honestly, if it weren't for the discussion that was going on here related to career mode AI scoring, I would not have played this near as much as I did.

And with the knowledge that new content - in terms of courses - is basically done (per the ApexHound video when he played the Ryder Cup with the devs), I am not expecting much to be added or changed that will give this game the shot in the arm that would change that.

[MrArlingtonBeach]

One other thing to add...

The fact they're changing how putting skills affect the grid is a bit wild at this stage. I am almost at level 60 and will only be getting one more skill point before I'm done.

And yet, they extended the level cap last patch when it really didn't make sense? And now they say you can re-train skills for 50 coins...but the last I checked, that was only for certain attributes? To re-train power, it was 400 coins for just one point...1800 to redo all 7 I have in power. They hand out coins so slowly, that this would put a significant dent in my funds...although there isn't anything worth spending them on, anyway, I suppose.

IDK...seems like a lot of shuffling to say they're doing something. Fundamentally changing what putting skill points do after more than 7 months after release seems like taking things a bit too far simply for the sake of "change". Personally, I think that they should have allowed a full skill tree reset or something if they were going to be changing how skill points affect gameplay at this stage. And even then, if you don't use grids or arcs at all to start with, there's nothing that the patch really does for you.

Meanwhile, other vital stuff that's been discussed ad nauseum sits unfixed or unaddressed, and there may be other things that this patch broke. It's all just a bit tiring and frustrating to deal with, any time these companies put out a patch.