TGC 2019 Multiplayer Interest Poll

[OnlookerDelay]

HB Studios have announced that they will be offering a full blown, invite to match, real time multiplayer facility, to cover stoke play, skins, match play, alt-shot, and fourball with The Golf Club 2019. If you're a TGC player, or expect to be one with the release of TGC 2019, which multiplayer option(s) do you see yourself potentially playing in the time you may spend playing online multiplayer in this game?

The two main options for those who choose to play online multiplayer are Online Matchmaking (in which the game will automatically match you up against another player(s) for a match of statistical record. The second is Private match, in which you create the conditions/terms and invite who you want to invite. You can wager virtual currency in private matches, but there's no record keeping.

I've included the option to vote for 'no plans to play online multiplayer' because that's as valid a choice itself.

[OnlookerDelay]

LOL... I can see this poll has turned out to be a real crowd pleaser Seriously though, I think it does speak to the drop off in interest in golf games in general, not only here but in every other sports gaming forum I frequent. I don't quite know when where and how it got this way, but we only see maybe one eighth of the participation level in golf gaming discussions across the board.

Is it the Tiger effect?

[kehlis]

I just think it's a bit early to say now what we will play a year from now. Modes like skins and match play probably should have been included from the forefront. I think all modes have a place. If I had to say which would be used the least it would probably be alternate shot because folks probably wouldn't want to be randomly paired with someone they don't know.

[OnlookerDelay]

Yeah, it's hard to say how the TGC crowd will break down over the various multiplayer options at this point. Those who would vote on it in an online poll are far more likely to know what and how they're going to play multiplayer, but they're certainly not in the majority of those who will be playing it. I'm a fan of alt-shot, but I'm a much bigger fan of match play. I'll probably play a lot of matchmaking match shot games, and maybe one or two alt-shot private matches a week.

The golf game fan base is hard to read. I've played in three different tours in TGC Tours.com (as I keep getting demoted ), and I see tons of names that I have never ever seen in any forum. Those who discuss golf games in various gaming forums are a vocal, yet very small minority of those who play, or so it seems to me.

[scagwi]

Quite honestly - If they added direct IP connection, I would simply use that.

[OnlookerDelay]

Quote: Originally Posted by scagwi

Quite honestly - If they added direct IP connection, I would simply use that.

They could probably do that fairly easily, but I don't know how many in their user base, and potential user base would be satisfied with that alone, plus it would only work for the PC users. Almost as common in the requests for real time multiplayer and the expansion of multiplayer game types for TGC, is the request for a multiplayer "lobby".

I don't think we're going to see something as elaborate as a full blown, chat lobby showing all the players in the room and an ongoing stream of chat text, with TGC 2019, which is going to no doubt disappoint some. I'd predict we're going to simply request an online matchmaking request for stroke, match, or skins, and be taken to a game by the server along with others who are making a request of the same type at the same time. You'll probably have an option to join that game or not in what will look like your current pregame selection menu, where you can add ghosts or active players.

The private online multiplayer menu will probably look like the current pregame setup menu, only they'll add an "Invite to Game" option to the Current Add Ghost, Add Rival options, like we had in the original TGC. If it works like it did in TGC, the invited player(s) would have to be on your Friend's list and have to have TGC 2019 booted up for them to be recognized as a player to invite to game. If you're playing a private match, you're probably going to have worked that detail out anyway.





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[scagwi]

Quote: Originally Posted by OnlookerDelay

I'd predict we're going to simply request an online matchmaking request for stroke, match, or skins, and be taken to a game by the server along with others who are making a request of the same type at the same time. You'll probably have an option to join that game or not in what will look like your current pregame selection menu, where you can add ghosts or active players. The private online multiplayer menu will probably look like the current pregame setup menu, only they'll add an "Invite to Game" option to the Current Add Ghost, Add Rival options, like we had in the original TGC. If it works like it did in TGC, the invited player(s) would have to be on your Friend's list and have to have TGC 2019 booted up for them to be recognized as a player to invite to game. If you're playing a private match, you're probably going to have worked that detail out anyway.

Goodness
What a mess that sounds like..

Other than "chatting" (which is usually dominated by trolls), you are basically describing everything a matchmaking lobby usually has that's of any value aren't you?

Why don't they just do that?

[OnlookerDelay]

Quote: Originally Posted by scagwi

Goodness What a mess that sounds like.. Other than "chatting" (which is usually dominated by trolls), you are basically describing everything a matchmaking lobby usually has that's of any value aren't you? Why don't they just do that?

Yeah, a good way to put what TGC 2019 is going to have is an automated matchmaking 'lobby', minus what most people think of as a lobby. I don't think you're going to see a pool of available players, you're just going to enter your desired competition type, like stroke, match, skins, fourball, alt-shot, and let the game pair you up with a match that meets your choices.

As for the lobby chat, I can live without out it, although in the first 6 to 10 months of Perfect Golf's existence, I ran into some interesting and engaging chats in their multiplayer chatbox.

Keep in mind that I'm doing nothing more than speculating, but I think I'm within the description of their forthcoming multiplayer online support, the way they've disclosed it thus far. I'll be buying the Early Access version of TGC 2019 for the PC, and I think the online multiplayer will get a good bit of testing, tweaking and tuning there. By the time the release version is ready, there will be no mystery as to its feature set or operation. It's stability on XBox Live and especially PS+ may be another issue though, although for me, TGC 1 was pretty decent in online multiplayer. Even its "Invite to Game" function worked most of the time.