No, VEM is a crucial system within WGT. I can understand the confusion surrounding this subject, so I sat down with the CEO (and owner of the patent) and he helped me decipher the legalese so that I may share it with you.
Essentially, the patent is for legal protection. It does give us the right to change the properties of clubs and balls, which we do often, but mainly it is for protecting the legal side of WGT. Whenever we exercise our right to change clubs and/or balls given to us by this patent, we do so unilaterally, and we tell the community about it. The only reasons we would do this is for balancing or bug correcting purposes.
Now, back to the question that keeps coming up "Does WGT have the capability to manipulate individual player's equipment?" The answer is yes, we have the capability to do nearly anything to anyone, any course, any time, anywhere. The next question you should ask is "Does the video game I play operate in such an underhanded way that they would practice this capability?"
The reason I say "the video game I play" and not "WGT" is because I want to make the point that similar companies has similar capabilities to manipulate the environment they produce. Think of any other similar online game you have played. Did you trust them to operate honestly? To provide a level playing field for all players? If you did, I assume you stuck around a while. If you didn't, then I wouldn't blame you for spending your recreational time elsewhere.
This is essentially what this question boils down to - yes, WGT has the power to manipulate the environment and/or clubs and balls they produce. Do you believe us when we say that we don't do so in an individual, unknown, shady deal but rather in a public, across the board manner that affects every player the exact same way? This is for the consumer to decide. We give you our word that we do not abuse the power of VEM, nor do we give our players the capability to do so. What you do with this information is your choice.
I am certain there will still be "conspiracy theorists" out there who believe otherwise, and that is expected and perfectly acceptable. The only problem is when these theories are stated as facts. When someone passionately devotes so much time and effort into mastering a game, it is inevitable that at certain times they will fail when they feel the opposite outcome should have happened. The natural reaction that humans come to when they think they have all their bases covered but still fail is transference.
I hope I was able to address all of your concerns and that I explained myself thoroughly. As always, my door is open, so feel free to send me a personal message or respond here with any questions :)
WGTPizza why did'nt you just answer with this 8 pages ago ?????? would of saved alot of typing for alot of people. We all knew the answer ! If you want the masses to TRUST you (WGT) maybe answer the questions with a factual answers,they go along way in earning peoples trust.
just my opinion