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

[Steve_OS]

According to IGN and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 14 director Mike DeVault, a more traditional DLC will be offered this year, replacing the Course Mastery system some users complained about last year.

A bitter criticism leveled at last year’s Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 was its disgraceful use of gougy content-walls poorly disguised as free-DLC upgrades. Players were required to grind in order to access courses...or take the option of paying EA for this content.

This year, the new Tiger Woods game will return to a saner system of DLC, offering players the simple option to buy extra courses, or not.

Speaking at an EA-organized event at the Pebble Beach golf resort yesterday, franchise director Mike DeVault told IGN, “We’ve taken that [Course Mastery] system out and are using a more traditional DLC approach.” He said the game would come with 20 courses as standard - up from 16 last year - with extra courses available to buy.

[kickingguru]

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

Mixed feelings on this one.... not sure why allowing people to earn the DLC vs purchasing it was all that bad... Now... I have to buy it or not have it at all.... Explain to me why that is better again?

[Retropyro]

Mixed feelings on this one.... not sure why allowing people to earn the DLC vs purchasing it was all that bad... Now... I have to buy it or not have it at all.... Explain to me why that is better again?

I agree, I never saw the problem.

[cdawg44]

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

This ready makes me upset. You had an option last year if you didn't want to have to pay for the courses. It was a grind, but it was doable if you played long enough. There was a course or two that I wanted as soon as I got the game, so I bought them. The rest I earned from gameplay. Just an overreaction from the Tiger Crew IMHO. I don't get what hurts everyone else buy letting some of us play to unlock courses.

[OnlookerDelay]

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

This is a complaint that was lost on me as well, Guru :? You have a choice, grind it out and earn them, or pay for them - how can it be broken down any simpler than that!?

[kickingguru]

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

What seems even worse is that the article was leaning toward EA being benevolent in taking it away.... Like they were the good guys on it... From my standpoint... they took it out because they made more money in 12 when it was pay or no play. Why does the sky not look blue to some people?

[kickingguru]

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

"A bitter criticism leveled at last year’s Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 was its disgraceful use of gougy content-walls poorly disguised as free-DLC upgrades. Players were required to grind in order to access courses...or take the option of paying EA for this content.

This year, the new Tiger Woods game will return to a saner system of DLC, offering players the simple option to buy extra courses, or not."


"SANER?" What freaking planet is this guy on? He over used words to try to sound "edumacated" and in essence his point makes zero sense...

[lnin0]

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

So now we just get gougy content-walls....no disguise

[OnlookerDelay]

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

You're right Guru, this article has a bit of a stench to it! It's like it's designed to make those who are now having to pay cash to get DLC courses are being done a favor? Again, I'm not one to haggle over the cost of a bundled download pack, but I also recognize that I'm not really typical of the average gamer when it comes to this game.

[cj24]

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

well this blows

[jbd345]

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

I think I remember people being upset that after you completed the course mastery on the 360, you still had to pay full retail price for the course. On the ps3 however you could keep the course for free if you completed the mastery. Due to the 360's own currency system.

[ParquetPosse]

How about for $60 you let me play all the courses EA, instead of releasing half a game??? I mean really, you are essentially charging gamers $120 for a game that should be $60! We would all be up in arms if Madden released a game with only half the NFL stadiums and told us to pay another $60 for the other half. How is this not the same concept?

Look, I tell myself every year that I won't buy TW next year because I feel ripped off but somehow I get caught up and the new "features" look cool and I pull out my wallet. But I get no loyalty points or reward for being a loyal customer, I get screwed over. I bought all your courses the last 3 years in a row but I have to buy them all over again and spend $120 on this game. That doesn't seem right. We need to stop falling for it. At the very least buy the game next year used in the bargain bin at GameStop. The technology is there, EA could recognize I bought previous DLC. They can't cut me a break on future games or DLC I already paid for? This news doesn't help anyone but EA themselves. Greed. Pure and simple.

[ParquetPosse]

Please, can anyone here tell me how this game is worth $120? When you break it all down and buy all the DLC that's what you are spending (at the very least unless you pick the game itself up on sale.) If, and that's a BIG IF, this game only released every few years I could maybe justify spending that much. But you are talking about a mediocre golf game that doesn't have much competition, (Madden anyone) a game that releases once a year with minor upgrades and useless new features. I can remember playing TW 04 and I actually seemed to enjoy that game more than the current Tiger Woods. How can that be? A 9 year old game that was on the original XBOX? Sure, there are a few new things they've added over the years but EA also took away some cool stuff and some features such as gameface actually got worse throughout the years. In 9 years this game hasn't progressed much and if you don't believe me pop in TW 04 or just play NBA 2K4 and see how much that game has evolved over 9 years. I get that golf doesn't have nearly as big of a following as the NBA but still. This game is double the price of NBA2k13 and for the most part you get a complete game for $60 unlike TW. I know, I'm at fault for buying this. I think this year I'm sitting this one out.

[scottmac]

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

What seems even worse is that the article was leaning toward EA being benevolent in taking it away.... Like they were the good guys on it... From my standpoint... they took it out because they made more money in 12 when it was pay or no play. Why does the sky not look blue to some people?

100% that's the reason why they changed it this year. I hope anyone isn't silly enough to believe what EA say regarding this.

As others have stated you should not have to buy courses over and over again each year.

[DivotMaker]

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

As others have stated you should not have to buy courses over and over again each year.

Then EA should just stop providing DLC courses. You have to re-purchase courses for several reasons.

1) Most versions come with updates to the existing courses to ensure accuracy of the course per the licensing agreement with each course. Most courses from a previous version would not work properly and/or have graphical issues that could violate the terms of licensing between EA and each course.

2) Each time a licensed course is used in the game, there is a COST per course that is downloaded or used on the CD. Licensing is a major cost for EA for TW because NOTHING comes with the PGA TOUR license other than the branding and the players names for leaderboard purposes.

3) DLC courses are also used because the 360 does not have enough disc space for 44 courses. It barely has enough for 25 due to the update MS pushed out last year updating the amount of disc space available on the 360 DVD. The PS3 does have the disc space, but they will not give one platform a distinct advantage over another one. A second 360 DVD is not going to happen at this stage of the game since new consoles are possibly being released late this year. And the cost of the added DVD is still there as well as the cost of including the DLC courses on that disc, so it is about a wash in cost to the user.

Lastly, they are including 20 courses on the Standard Edition and 25 on the Historic which is FAR MORE than any Golf game has released on its disc in history. They give users the OPTION of paying roughly $2.50 per course for additional licensed courses. You get updated courses that work properly with the updates to the game engines each year. Giving users the option to bring courses from previous TW games presents technical and legal concerns due to licensing that no one wants to have to deal with. To me, I have the option to buy courses or not. I bought every DLC course (excluding fantasy courses) every year since they came out and IMO, they are a better value every year as the cost of them continues to go downward on a per course basis. Am I happy that EA has taken away the option to earn these courses? Of course not. But they did get reamed by a number of very misinformed game reviewers and it is a damn shame that we, the users of the product are impacted by their misinformation and EA's subsequent decision to remove this feature. I fully understand anyone who is disappointed in this and critical of this. But I do not buy the argument that you should not have to buy courses in subsequent versions for the reasons stated above........