Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters - Career Mode Breakdown

[Steve_OS]

ESPN's Jon Robinson breaks down the career mode in Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters.

"One of the biggest problems I've always had playing through a career in any "Tiger" game is I never felt like I was working toward any type of goal that carried true meaning. It's not like "Madden" where I'm trying to get my team to the Super Bowl or "NBA 2K11" where I'm out to win the NBA championship. But now that EA Sports has signed an agreement with Augusta National Golf Club to finally include The Masters in "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12," looks like I finally have that meaning I was looking for (besides, I always wanted a green jacket).

"You start out as an amateur qualifying at a local event," explains producer Scott Stutsman. "That gets you onto the Nationwide Tour, then after so long you go to Q-School in order to get your PGA Tour card."

Throughout the qualification process, your golfer is growing in abilities thanks to an increase in XP. You'll also see improvements thanks to the addition of caddies who will give you advice and help you master each course.

"It's a growth process you go through, season after season, year after year," explains Stutsman. "With the eventual goal to work your way up and play The Masters."

[The Bimmer]

Re: Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters Career Mode Breakdown

No bums allowed at Augusta, now thats awesome. Sounds good, what I like as the article states, there is a goal to shoot for now.

[all4isu]

Re: Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters Career Mode Breakdown

This sounds pretty sweet. What about the rest of the tour? Do we get to play in other tournaments yearly?

[Seymour Scagnetti]

Re: Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters - Career Mode Breakdown

Yikes this is what I feared about career mode. In other words an authentic season mode is not in the game.

The reason career (or season) mode felt boring was the presentation was lacking. There was a goal just like any other sports game. In Madden you try and win the Superbowl title and in the PGA you arer supposed to win the Fedex cup which is supposed to be the title in golf. The career mode presentation was so cold and sterile that you felt uninvolved.

It looks like they are copying the Wii career mode. If that Nationwide tour goals are any indication it means that you win 2 tourneys or place in the top 5 etc.. and you advance. It should be like the real Nationwide tour. You play a full season and if you are in the top rung of golfers you go to qualifying and a chance to get to the PGA.

I fear it will be that once you get to the PGA tour then it will be more goals like win 3 tourneys or place in the top 5 a bunch of times and qualify for the Masters without really using the proper PGA criteria to get to the Masters. Whether it takes 10 years or 10 months to win those 3 tourneys it doesn't matter. Therefore the PGA season is not really reflected realistically in order to become the #1 golfer.

Then once you qualify for the Masters then it will be more goals like win the Masters (or finish in the top 5 three times) and one other tourney and place in the top 5 a bunch of times and congrats you're the #1 golfer. Career mode over. Or if you have one goal left in the last teir and it is to win the Masters to beocme #1 then you have no reason to go thru a season. You will just keep fast forwarding to the Masters every year to complete that last goal and ignore all the other Tourneys.

If you still feel like you're playing against a score sheet and are alone on the course without other golfers then it will still feel dull.

[GrandMaster B]

That can't be the case Seymour. They are allowing DLC to be implemented in your season. You play all of the other events as usual. In the real Nationwide Tour you just need 3 wins I believe to advance to the PGA.

[wcrickards]

One problem I've had with the TW series is that eventually, I'll start getting -18 scores a round, while my competition gets -2 or -3. Will the competition play up to us? Or will it be harder and harder to rack up those unworldly scores? I shouldn't routinely be scoring in the 50s on the hardest difficulty.

[The Bimmer]

Re: Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters - Career Mode Breakdown

I kinda chuckle when so many say they shot -18, -26 in 1 round on the hardest difficulty. Simply DONT max out your golfer, play on Tour pro, true aim, and shut off the putting grid. You will not shot -18 in 1 round any more simple as that.

[globalbeats7]

i really hope there are camera improvements to TRUE AIM. there really is no other way to play the game, but the camera staying low and not moving when you hit the ball is frustrating.

and i agree with the post above. you CAN make the game harder, its just that people choose not to cuz they want to rip 450yd drives and shoot 57 in a round.

[Seymour Scagnetti]

Re: Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters - Career Mode Breakdown

That can't be the case Seymour. They are allowing DLC to be implemented in your season. You play all of the other events as usual. In the real Nationwide Tour you just need 3 wins I believe to advance to the PGA.

As far I know that to get to the PGA tour you have to finish near the top of the Nationwide rankings at year end and gives you a berth to qulaiufying school. I've never heard about 3 wins and you advance. That would have to be 3 wins in a calender year although if you do that you obviously would be ranked near the top at years end. But then again if you don't win a tourney all year but get a bunch of top 5 placings then you would be in the top 10 rankings and still advance.

I'm pretty sure the Nationwide tour operates the same as the PGA does with the Fedex points.

The career mode states in that screen shot just to win 3 tourneys in total. Doesn't say in a calender year which makes the career mode arcadish.

As in the case of the final goal of being the #1 golfer. I would assume that winning the Masters would be part of the criteria. So if you get all the other goals that they want than all the incentive you have is to only play the Masters year after year until you win it and complete the career mode goals. The other tourneys may be in there but you would have no reason to play them because it doesn't affect the goal of being #1. This is how it's played out in the Wii version.

All I can say is if this is the case there will be alot of bitching on this board after a month because there is no real season mode. And if achieving a goal in career mode simply gives you a screen shot saying Congratulations then it will be a dull as before. They need to work on the presentation not the structure.

[The Bimmer]

Re: Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters - Career Mode Breakdown

The career mode is called Road to the Masters, so you're going through multiple seasons accumulating points in the World Ranking. So there are two goals here: To actually get invited and win the Masters, and to become the No. 1 golfer in the world. So even though you can get to the Masters in a short time, it's then up to you to see how many Masters you can win while also trying to become the No. 1 golfer.



Maybe I am reading something into this that is not so. Lets say after your first season you get invited to the masters, but you dont win it, I am quite certain we would not be NO.1 in the world right? So now you would have to play the season again and see if you get invited? right? Now lets say we get invited again ( our 2nd season), but this time win it, but still do not make NO.1 in the world, we would have to play through season 3 get invited again and win back to back masters to get to NO.1 in the world (possibly)? Because I am thinking if you play with a half human created player and play on Tournament mode ( the hardest) there could be some real fun here compared to TW11 career mode which isnt that bad, but I agree not that good. If I am correct that this is how the carrer mode will work , just the change itself in the challenge will be good enough for me.

[Seymour Scagnetti]

Re: Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters - Career Mode Breakdown

The career mode is called Road to the Masters, so you're going through multiple seasons accumulating points in the World Ranking. So there are two goals here: To actually get invited and win the Masters, and to become the No. 1 golfer in the world. So even though you can get to the Masters in a short time, it's then up to you to see how many Masters you can win while also trying to become the No. 1 golfer.



Maybe I am reading something into this that is not so. Lets say after your first season you get invited to the masters, but you dont win it, I am quite certain we would not be NO.1 in the world right? So now you would have to play the season again and see if you get invited? right? Now lets say we get invited again ( our 2nd season), but this time win it, but still do not make NO.1 in the world, we would have to play through season 3 get invited again and win back to back masters to get to NO.1 in the world (possibly)? Because I am thinking if you play with a half human created player and play on Tournament mode ( the hardest) there could be some real fun here compared to TW11 career mode which isnt that bad, but I agree not that good. If I am correct that this is how the carrer mode will work , just the change itself in the challenge will be good enough for me.

Yeah but that's not realistic. The most recent #1 golfers are Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood and neither have won a Masters in fact they have only have one major between them. It kinda makes winning other tourneys in the game anti-climatic.

It's like playing Madden and being told you can only be crowned Superbowl champion if you beat Pittsburgh in a playoff game on the road 1st. Makes it too gimmicky for me. And what if you make it to the PGA tour and win the Masters the 1st year and end up #1 also. That would mean your PGA season only lasts one year.

[The Bimmer]

Re: Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters - Career Mode Breakdown

Yeah but that's not realistic. The most recent #1 golfers are Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood and neither have won a Masters in fact they have only have one major between them. It kinda makes winning other tourneys in the game anti-climatic.

It's like playing Madden and being told you can only be crowned Superbowl champion if you beat Pittsburgh in a playoff game on the road 1st. Makes it too gimmicky for me. And what if you make it to the PGA tour and win the Masters the 1st year and end up #1 also. That would mean your PGA season only lasts one year.

Well, I see what you are saying. I just disagree with you about the OTHER tourneys having no meaning if you win them. If points are determining your ranking wouldnt you want to win as many tourneys as possible to get the max points? Remember you have to be invited to the Masters, win it(maybe more than once) and be NO.1 in points. The Madden example , well, the Masters is the Super Bowl in E.A.'s design of the game. Its not like playing Pittsburgh every year its more like playing the Super Bowl in Pittsburgh every year, I dont have a problem with that actually. We have to be invited by points (the other tourneys) or in Madden language win the division or get the wild card. Now if winning the masters to get to NO.1 or winning the Superbowl in Madden as you put it seems boring because its at Augusta everytime, well, quite frankly I could care less if I had to play in the same stadium every year as long as I won the Lombardi Trophy.

Curious, what kinda of carrer mode would you like to see?

[Seymour Scagnetti]

Re: Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters - Career Mode Breakdown

Well, I see what you are saying. I just disagree with you about the OTHER tourneys having no meaning if you win them. If points are determining your ranking wouldnt you want to win as many tourneys as possible to get the max points? Remember you have to be invited to the Masters, win it(maybe more than once) and be NO.1 in points. The Madden example , well, the Masters is the Super Bowl in E.A.'s design of the game. Its not like playing Pittsburgh every year its more like playing the Super Bowl in Pittsburgh every year, I dont have a problem with that actually. We have to be invited by points (the other tourneys) or in Madden language win the division or get the wild card. Now if winning the masters to get to NO.1 or winning the Superbowl in Madden as you put it seems boring because its at Augusta everytime, well, quite frankly I could care less if I had to play in the same stadium every year as long as I won the Lombardi Trophy.

Curious, what kinda of carrer mode would you like to see?

From those screen shots it looks like it's objective based. And thoerotically your PGA tour career could last one season if you obtain all your objectives. People were complaining about 5 year PGA seasons and we might have 1 or 2 year seasons.

I want a career mode that mirrors a real life golf career and not end after you achieve all the objectives. I want to have a multi year career and see if i could match Nicklaus for lifetime majors. The presentation is what was lacking last year and that's what made it boring.

They used the objective type checklist for the Wii version and for Top Spin tennis and trust me it gets boring fast when coupled with dull presentation. If the last objective is to be #1 (which appears to be the case from what I'm reading)I don't want the career mode to end once I reach #1, I want to keep going and try to maintain being #1.

EDIT: never mind I just saw the other thread and it looks alot better than I thought it would be and the AI scoring slider clinched it for me.

LIke I said I just hope the game doesn't end when you reach #1.

[The Bimmer]

Re: Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters - Career Mode Breakdown

Well on the E.A. forums I read that the career mode is 10 yrs, not 5 as in TW11. So I suspect all though it may be possible to win the masters and be NO.1 all in one season, I dont think playing on Tournament mode this will be possible. Plus with a 10yr career it might well be possible that if you do hit NO.1 with a masters win we will have to maintain it through the next year, but this is speculation on my part.

I am thinking that it will take the average sim player on Tournament mode probably 3-4 seasons to hit NO.1 and have a masters under their belt. However since the article reads how many masters can you win before being NO.1 I dont think one win will neccesarily get you to the top, who knows. This will depend on the point system.

The biggest thing for me so far is the change, it will be a whole new way to play the game, even if it is not the greatest way.

[rangerrick012]

Re: Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters - Career Mode Breakdown

As far I know that to get to the PGA tour you have to finish near the top of the Nationwide rankings at year end and gives you a berth to qulaiufying school. I've never heard about 3 wins and you advance. That would have to be 3 wins in a calender year although if you do that you obviously would be ranked near the top at years end.

It's called a Battlefield Promotion, <code class="Blue"></code>win 3 Nationwide events and you're promoted to the main tour. I remember Jason Gore doing it a few years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlefield_promotion#Other_uses

In any case, I'm just happy that some semblance of life seems to be added to Career mode this year. At least on the surface it seems like a major upgrade, even if the depth that some might want isn't necessarily there.