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WGT - Game or Business?

• danohi50 1,020 Posts

  Sat, Dec 18 2010 10:31 PM

  It flat costs money to run a business like WGT. Sorry but thats a fact. Without income WGT folds and there goes a game I dearly love to play. Courses cost a ton They have to get a helicoptor, take thousands of pictures, then match aLL THAT DATA TO A GPS program.

   

  Thats the way this world works.

• borntobesting 9,710 Posts

  Sun, Dec 19 2010 12:56 AM

  danohi50:

  It flat costs money to run a business like WGT. Sorry but thats a fact. Without income WGT folds and there goes a game I dearly love to play. Courses cost a ton They have to get a helicoptor, take thousands of pictures, then match aLL THAT DATA TO A GPS program.

   

  Thats the way this world works.

  Or do you just want computer generated courses like on TWO that are not in HD and no where near as good as WGT?And by the way due to some reason maybe bandwidth TWO now has to close a course every time they bring out a new one. that little tidbit was in an E-mail I received from EaSports/TWO yesterday with am exclusive discount offer for the yearly membership fee. Only $49.95. True I probably pay more than that here for clubs and balls and such but not because I have to just to be a member. 

• MioKontic 4,654 Posts

  Sun, Dec 19 2010 3:49 AM

  Finally, two good responses which are helpful rather than just biting back.  Yes, you're right, I was playing ranked rounds, that is why I was getting upgraded.  I do want to get better, but not by putting money into the game.

  In real golf the difference between a 15 handicapper and a 8 handicapper is definitely the short game.  But the difference in WGT between a good score (e.g. 60) and an average score (e.g. 67) is not the short game but by getting the ball to do what you expect it to do and stop close to the hole.  You don't get a score of 60 by improving your chipping or sand saves (unless of course you sink them).

  I finally managed to get a survey done last night which got me 450 credits.  Still need another 1400 to get the clubs I want.  Has anyone done the CreditExpert offer?  Looks free, but I'm not 100% sure.  I have read the small print but still can't be sure.  That would get me damn close to where I need to be.

  I agree that there are unlimited free balls, but, as I keep saying, they don't do what you expect/want them to do all the time, and so you do have to pay for new ones for consistency.

  Anyway, thanks for the advice, somthing to think about.

• tiffer67 1,764 Posts

  Sun, Dec 19 2010 5:03 AM

  The difference between a 60 and a 67 is how you play from 100 yards in and your putting. Nothing to do with inconsistencies of the game.......

• SGTBilko 1,686 Posts

  Sun, Dec 19 2010 6:06 AM

  tiffer67:

  The difference between a 60 and a 67 is how you play from 100 yards in and your putting. Nothing to do with inconsistencies of the game.......

  Hey Mio, take a look at tiffer's stats and take his advice. The game has variables built into. The attempt of WGT was to create a game as close to the real thing. Since we as humans may know the mechanics of true golf but often fail to do it every single time, WGT uses the "Beast" to create those variables. Yes, you can play TW Online and they have people that average -25 to -30 under over there. That is not real golf to me. Even the top guys can shoot with the starter sets, if you do not believe me go take a look at some of the score cards on the forum.

  Bottom line is if you don't want to spend any money that's cool, there are quite a few here who have made a lot of credits and never spent a dime. For some it is a pleasure we enjoy and worth the little bit of money we spend, others take the credits they won and help others or sponsor prizes for tournaments ie WGA Tour 2011. If you truly want to get better than IMO go back and work on your flop, pitch, and chip shots. Good Luck!

• Richard4168 4,309 Posts

  Sun, Dec 19 2010 6:20 AM

  danohi50:

  Courses cost a ton They have to get a helicoptor, take thousands of pictures, then match aLL THAT DATA TO A GPS program.

  I've often wondered if WGT could get a unmanned drone plane to take the golf course photos. It could save on fuel and man power for sure. If they lock the GPS coordinates of the golf course to the drone, the drone could fly to all the course locations snapping photos on it's own.

  The current cost to photo a course is $250,000, not to mention the cost of bringing the course to stroke-play. I just wonder if that cost could be reduced using a drone plane?

• andyson 6,415 Posts

  Sun, Dec 19 2010 6:46 AM

  Richard4168:

  I've often wondered if WGT could get a unmanned drone plane to take the golf course photos. It could save on fuel and man power for sure. If they lock the GPS coordinates of the golf course to the drone, the drone could fly to all the course locations snapping photos on it's own.

  The current cost to photo a course is $250,000, not to mention the cost of bringing the course to stroke-play. I just wonder if that cost could be reduced using a drone plane?

  They already have used drones.  From a January 28, 2008 article on WGT

  "Backed by first-round funding from venture firm Battery Partners, the World Golf team has been taking high-resolution pictures of every square inch of far-flung golf courses - from Pinehurst in North Carolina to the Bali Hai Golf Club in Las Vegas - using a small fleet of helicopters and radio-controlled drones. It takes a dozen people six months and $200,000 to make one World Golf course simulation, says Cheng. But that's a bargain compared with the millions it can cost to design, animate, and distribute a conventional video or PC game. Cheng says the site will make money through advertising, sponsorship deals, and various premium offerings"

   

• AtlantaCoaster 645 Posts

  Sun, Dec 19 2010 9:52 AM

  SGTBilko:

   

   The game has variables built into. The attempt of WGT was to create a game as close to the real thing. Since we as humans may know the mechanics of true golf but often fail to do it every single time, WGT uses the "Beast" to create those variables. 

  This brings to mind a point that I would like to mention.  Some WGT Members get ANGRY about WGT while I am playing them - along the lines of "that's not realistic" - "that's not what would happen in real golf" etc.

  GUESS WHAT?  IT ISN'T REAL LIFE GOLF - so it never will be completely 100% "what would happen in real life".  I don't understand the mentality that gets wrapped up in this - especially the anger I sometimes see that comes with it.

  IN REAL LIFE...I would be shooting 90-95 on these courses IF I AM LUCKY.  That's not real life either....and it never will be.  This is a computer game.

  Regards,  AtlantaCoaster

• borntobesting 9,710 Posts

  Sun, Dec 19 2010 10:30 AM

  AtlantaCoaster:

  SGTBilko:

   

   The game has variables built into. The attempt of WGT was to create a game as close to the real thing. Since we as humans may know the mechanics of true golf but often fail to do it every single time, WGT uses the "Beast" to create those variables. 

  This brings to mind a point that I would like to mention.  Some WGT Members get ANGRY about WGT while I am playing them - along the lines of "that's not realistic" - "that's not what would happen in real golf" etc.

  GUESS WHAT?  IT ISN'T REAL LIFE GOLF - so it never will be completely 100% "what would happen in real life".  I don't understand the mentality that gets wrapped up in this - especially the anger I sometimes see that comes with it.

  IN REAL LIFE...I would be shooting 90-95 on these courses IF I AM LUCKY.  That's not real life either....and it never will be.  This is a computer game.

  Regards,  AtlantaCoaster

  90-95? I would lucky to break 100. From the back tees it would be even closer to 110.

• Richard4168 4,309 Posts

  Sun, Dec 19 2010 1:33 PM

  Well that's good to know. Those smaller scale, radio controlled drones aren't that expensive to buy, or operate.