Hello and welcome back to WGTChampion’s Corner where I ask you all to gather ‘round and then I ramble about golf video games. I’m glad you still gather. I really appreciate it.
The main things I want to point out:
- USGA eSports Grand Slam: Virtual Open at Olympic Club live stream date has changed from June 7 to June 12.
- We’re upgrading our Unity version so it may be a short while before you see a new client update.
- Why is a Unity upgrade important?
Let’s start with number 1. The Virtual Open at Olympic Club live stream will see 10 players compete for big prizes on Olympic Club. It was originally scheduled for Monday June 7, but it has been moved to Saturday, June 12. Saturdays are more fun.
Number 2! You may have noticed our downtime this week was not followed by an update to download. We were able to bring you the latest Callaway equipment, a Tie Dye shirt, and some new WGT Classics from the server downtime alone without having to download a new update when you launched the game.
The reason for this is that our engineering team is currently focused on upgrading Unity, the game engine that powers WGT, to a newer version. This update is more behind-the-scenes work, so you shouldn't expect to necessarily see anything new just yet., until we start rolling out the improvements made possible by it.
Is that like when iTunes updates? It is not.
There are a number of reasons this update is important, mainly that it will allow us to continue improving the game and your experience, and will make future features possible. It’s a time consuming project to do the upgrade and make sure everything is working correctly, which is why we’re being extremely careful and taking the time needed to do it right.
When we finish extensive testing and feel comfortable with the update we will be rolling it out one platform at a time as another precaution. We're intentionally rolling it out slowly and when you receive the update, if you think “Wow, none of this seems different at all,” then you’ll know we did our job well.
NUMBER 3! So why is this so important? For a number of reasons. The biggest reason is that new versions of Unity come with new features that we plan to use in future features and updates. It will help make sure we’re compliant with app store updates and allows us to integrate more services.
BONUS! Rapid fire round!
- We have two server downtimes scheduled for June. These are currently scheduled for the nights of June 22 and June 29. The June 22 downtime is for maintenance and the June 29 one is our normal downtime. Keep an eye out for formal announcements on those days.
- Another round of WGT Classic apparel released earlier this week. We’re hoping to get some more out at the end of June. Sorry they haven’t been coming out as frequently as we originally planned. Releasing Torrey Pines was the priority and delayed the rollout but we’re getting back on track.
- The first Showdown Rush starts this Saturday, May 29. There’s only one round of qualifiers so don’t wait to enter!
- The Tie Dye shirt is super cool.
- Torrey Pines will be added to all your favorite game modes at the end of June. That means coin games, match play, alt shot, single player rounds, country club tournaments. But what about [INSERT GAME MODE HERE]? Yes, that one too! Until then, you can play it as many times as you like in the Virtual U.S. Open Qualifier tournament.
Okay, that’s it. That’s the update.
Talk soon,
_CHAMPION
P.S. I know I'm posting this June update on May 28. I hope you carry this update with you throughout June and think of it fondly.