In the news article about levels, WGT said the following:
"WGT Levels are new and are based on completing rounds and interacting with other players. At new Levels, players will be able to unlock new virtual items previously unavailable to them. Levels will make WGT more fun for everyone regardless of their skill, and also encourage players to finish more multi-player games and matches.
- Players have been pre-assigned to a Level based on their Tier and history with WGT.
The WGT Pro Shop will start unlocking all our virtual golf equipment based on Level rather than Tier. As in real life, you may never play as well as a real pro, but that doesn't mean you can't buy the same equipment they're using. However, also in real life, some golf equipment will continue to be designed for beginners and other for experts, in terms of factors like swing meter speed and forgiveness."
I have a few problems with that:
- "Levels will make WGT more fun for everyone regardless of their skill,"
Except when they get moved up a tier and find they can't buy equipment for it.
- "and also encourage players to finish more multi-player games and matches."
Not really considering you get points whether you finish or not. It does encourage more multiplayer games but doesn't encourage finishing them.
- "As in real life, you may never play as well as a real pro, but that doesn't mean you can't buy the same equipment they're using. However, also in real life, some golf equipment will continue to be designed for beginners and other for experts, in terms of factors like swing meter speed and forgiveness."
Whereas in WGT at the moment you can't buy pro equipment even if you're skilled enough if your level isn't high enough AND the low-level equipment tends to be harder to use than the high-level equipment. Some examples:
-
- Ping G10 Driver - meter speed 3, forgiveness 2 (very hard to use) - level 0+ (lol).
- Ping 2010 rapture V2 Driver - meter speed 1, forgiveness 4 (much easier to use) - level 57+!! (lmao).
- Ping G10 Pro Iron Set - meter speed 2.5, forgiveness 2 (hard to use) - level 0+ (running out of lol's - getting quite annoyed now)
- Ping Rapture V2 Iron Set - meter speed 1, forgiveness 4 (easy to use) - level 29+
- Ping Redwood ZB putter - meter speed 1.5 - level 0.
- Taylor Made Rossa Daytona putter - meter speed 1 (otherwise identical to the ZB) - level 71+!!!!
- Taylor Made Spider putter - meter speed 0.5 - level 20+
Such nonsense! The low-level equipment is universally harder to use without exception. Designed for beginners my ****.
WGT you owe us all an apology for treating us like idiots. You should change the system to (if you insist on restricting purchases):
- High tiers needed for long distance, high meter speed, low forgiveness, high precision clubs (for skilled players).
- Low tiers needed for shorter distance, slow meter speed, high forgiveness, less precision clubs (for less skilled players).
Levels should (if anything) give access to slightly better versions of those clubs. Remember, level is not a measure of skill and lack of level certainly isn't. Why should the low levels be restricted to the harder to use equipment?