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Re: Lending Clubs to Partners in Multi-Player

• Faterson 2,902 Posts

  Wed, Jul 22 2009 11:56 AM

  One thing that might foster the WGT community, and even reduce the amount of those ghastly quitters  (WGT's equivalent of spammers in the email world), would be for WGT to allow us to lend those of our clubs not selected for play in the current round to other players we (happen to) meet in a multi-player game. (Vice versa too, of course.) I have several club sets and can only use one set during any game; why not lend those clubs I cannot use in the current round to my partners in that game? There are cries to enable try before you buy, and this would be something similar, would motivate folks to join more multi-player games, and would motivate them to finish their rounds without quitting.

  Suggestion to WGT: add a BORROW button to each player's Equipment card. The button would allow a player's partners to request (for borrowing) his/her equipment not used in his/her current round. A window would pop up for the player with the available equipment (similarly to Friendship & Invitation requests) and she/he would either lend the requested equipment item to the requesting player or not. Each type of club could only be replaced by a borrowed club once per round. Upon finishing the last hole, or disconnection (voluntary or involuntary), the borrowed item would be automatically returned to the original owner's bag.

  Why not allow balls to be lent and borrowed as well? Balls would depreciate during play as if they were played by their proper owner, and likewise automatically returned to the owner as soon as the round is over.

  I think this might be a good tool to advertise the equipment sold in the ProShop. WGT might obtain some new paying customers this way. And, the number of quitters might perhaps drop, if they were given some free advanced toys to play with for the remainder of a multi-player round in which they (happen to) meet a partner with an excessive supply of clubs.

• Hydronix 39 Posts

  Fri, Jul 24 2009 12:39 AM

  As I replied to the gentleman who made a similar suggestion, a "club borrow" interface probably wouldn't qualify for a beta version. Instead of fundamental updates and patches, you would have to impliment a great deal more in the way of bandwidth, and records would have to be kept of every club that was borrowed, to whom, for how long, etc.

  I do think a realistic idea would be a similar but less efficient one, as mentioned by the other fellow: a WGT credit gift system, whereby one could buy credits and/or equipment that he or she could gift to his or her less fortunate friends.

  What do you think?

  -Dylan

• Faterson 2,902 Posts

  Fri, Jul 24 2009 12:51 AM

  Hydronix:

  records would have to be kept of every club that was borrowed, to whom, for how long, etc.

  I don't see why such records would have to be kept? I don't think anyone would need them. The clubs would simply be borrowed for the duration of that one multiplayer game, that's all. Even as it is now, the system does not record how frequently you use any of your club sets, and which of your scores were achieved using which clubs. (Although that would certainly be some interesting statistics. For example, I'd like to see my individual Fairways Hit % for the 4 various drivers I've used in this game so far.)

  A credit gift system is definitely a good idea, but it's a different one from that proposed in this thread. Gifts, too, might be useful for promoting the qualities of the clubs offered in the ProShop, and thus increase GWT's revenues from the sale of equipment.

• Hydronix 39 Posts

  Fri, Jul 24 2009 6:30 AM

  If it were as simple as saying "Here, I'll allow you to borrow my driver for 24 hours" that would be fine. Unfortunately, this would have to be recorded serverside so that people get their loaned stuff back, thereby requiring data for every club borrowed, the duration of it, what it is and to whom it must be returned. An interface would have to be written for borrowing, loaning, etc. and all transactions, assuming the player gets his loaned clubs back, would have to be stored server side.

• Faterson 2,902 Posts

  Fri, Jul 24 2009 6:43 AM

  Hydronix:

  If it were as simple as saying "Here, I'll allow you to borrow my driver for 24 hours" that would be fine.

  No, that's not the proposal I was making above. I would, in fact, be against such round-the-clock loans.

  My specific proposal was to make it possible for players to loan clubs not currently used by them to those (and only those!) players whom they (happen to) meet in a specific multi-player game, and only for the duration of that one multi-player game.

  A lot of the problems you mention would not occur at all under such a scenario. No recording of loans would be necessary. The proposal as originally made would have several benefits, such as motivating players to join multi-player games (because borrowing would only be possible in multi-player games), and players would be less likely to quit their rounds before finishing them. Last not least, having borrowed the clubs and experienced their qualities first-hand, I'm certain many of those players would then proceed to the ProShop & purchase that equipment, increasing revenue for WGT.

• Hydronix 39 Posts

  Fri, Jul 24 2009 4:56 PM

  If you mean simply game-to-game loans, it would require less bandwidth, but still a lot!

  And I wonder if it would lead people to go to the Pro Shop and buy equipment. If they've got just two or three friends with  whom they regularly play, they won't have any need to, since they'll be able to borrow equipment indefinitely. 

  I also think many players would be driven away from the Pro Shop when they realize how fast the swing meter is on some of the clubs they borrow.

• tibbets 1,043 Posts

  Fri, Jul 24 2009 5:22 PM

  Not going to happen.

  From Terms&Conditions:

  "WORLD GOLF TOUR does not recognize the transfer of your user accounts ("Accounts") or any virtual items contained therein. You may not purchase, sell, gift or trade any Account, or offer to purchase, sell, gift or trade any Account or virtual item contained therein, and any such attempt shall be null and void."

  A little too much funny business becomes possible when you entertain the notion of trading virtual items here.  Obviously WGT thinks so as well, hence the disclaimer prohibiting such a thing.

  Anyone who has played other inventory-type games has seen the exploits and hacks that allow for duplicate items to be "created" out of thin air.  I see that any such lending or trading practice here would lend itself to the same type of exploits.

• Hydronix 39 Posts

  Fri, Jul 24 2009 7:32 PM

  Ah! Well said. I've forgotten all about that aspect.

  It's true, if you open up some kind of market whereby players can carry out trasactions for virtual goods, it will lead to credits and items being sold for USD, as it has with all the other online games that have turned to it.

• Faterson 2,902 Posts

  Sat, Jul 25 2009 1:51 AM

  Hydronix:

  If you mean simply game-to-game loans, it would require less bandwidth, but still a lot!

  tibbets:

  Not going to happen. [...] Anyone who has played other inventory-type games has seen the exploits and hacks that allow for duplicate items to be "created" out of thin air. I see that any such lending or trading practice here would lend itself to the same type of exploits.

  You guys are sceptical about it, and I'm not. Especially if the lending were not large-scale, but only on a game-by-game basis, I don't see a lot of bandwidth required, and don't see a significantly increased risk of hacks and exploits.

  We'll just have to wait and see. If this aspires to be a realistic golf game, it could make things possible that are very much possible in real life: you meet someone for a round of golf & lend them some of your clubs you're not gonna use for your own round.