Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR Golf

[TCrouch]

I had the same initial reactions, even surprising my wife when she asked how I liked it and my response was "I hate it so far".

I warmed up to it completely last night, but even then your concerns were still spot on--putting, I'm filling the green meter. But that tempo you have is the same thing I had. You'll get lower tempo if you hold the stick at the end of the follow through even a tiny bit. The swing itself can feel identical, but if you hold your follow through for even a fraction of a second, it lowers tempo.

Which, of course, lends more weight to your swing disconnect feeling. Nothing about the swing feels organic or simulates a golf swing, IMO.

Nobody has innovated a golf swing in a console game for years. Why don't we try both analog sticks...and a trigger? Address the ball by holding right on the R stick (or L on the R stick for lefties), shift the weight back with the L stick, and rotate the R stick around as if you're bringing the club around you...and moving both sticks at once for balance and rotation? At the point of contact, pull a trigger for forearm rotation, and all of those together create a straight shot. Want a fade? Less trigger/forearm rotation. Want a draw? Less weight shift (can't really simulate less torso rotation if the R stick is controlling the swing).

I just don't like the simplistic forward/back, but at least it made sense to me after I figured out the issues I had holding the stick for a fraction of a second on my follow through in RM.

[Inuyasha]

You and PK have pretty much encapsulated my overall thoughts on RMPGAT, although I have no rooting interest in The Golf Club over an EA Sports golf game... I want them both to be good. .

I see. I thought you had worked on TGC or were associated with it in a professional capacity.

That sucks they got rid of the option to choose # of rounds you can play in a tourney. I liked in the past how you could choose from 1-4 rounds. I'd rather play one 18 hole round than random 18 holes throughout 4 rounds. Maybe they can fix this with an upate.

I enjoyed my games last night since my created player is getting better. I am doing better putting now also. But I'm at that point with EA golf where my player is not terrible and not great, just in the middle so it's fun. but once he attributes more skill points and becomes a great player, the game will get too easy.

[J_Cauthen]

You've got some good ideas in motion with the swing interface Terry. I don't think EA Sports is ready to step out of their box to that degree yet. I still think Links 2004 on the XBox had the most rhythm dependent, and thereby sensually satisfying thumbstick swing interface to date. You were rewarded with distance AND accuracy for maintaining a proper rhythm and tempo throughout the swing. The stick flicking with your thumb flying off the stick after impact wasn't a requirement, and it felt soooo much more natural and engaging.

This game could get better with time though, especially if EA Sports follows the HB Studios upgrade model, which it seems they're geared to do now. I want to get rid of that freaking fill bubble right beneath the ball, and not rely on any HUD devices during the swing. I know I can try to ignore it but it's a distraction at best and it still creeps too much into view during putting. I don't think I'll ever be fully satisfied with this game unless they do something to get rid of this twitchy stick flicking business to hit the desired shot.

[J_Cauthen]

I see. I thought you had worked on TGC or were associated with it in a professional capacity.

I was a beta tester for the PC version, nothing more.

That sucks they got rid of the option to choose # of rounds you can play in a tourney. I liked in the past how you could choose from 1-4 rounds. I'd rather play one 18 hole round than random 18 holes throughout 4 rounds. Maybe they can fix this with an upate.

I'm surprised they didn't leave that option in as well, but then again, so many options we thought were requisite are AWOL in this game. I just played three quickplay rounds and changed to full play in the final round in the Bay Hill event in career mode. It worked out okay, but if I wasn't bound by a 10 hour limit, I'd play them all. I know there are times when I wouldn't want to do the full grind though.

I enjoyed my games last night since my created player is getting better. I am doing better putting now also. But I'm at that point with EA golf where my player is not terrible and not great, just in the middle so it's fun. but once he attributes more skill points and becomes a great player, the game will get too easy.

I started to get a little more out of it as my CAG has evolved a bit, but it doesn't erase the emptiness I feel over the sensually unsatisfying swing interface. The game will get easier as my CAG gets better, but what does it matter if the basic interface is leaving me flat? I also find the online multiplayer even less satisfying than The Golf Club's. This materializing, de-materializing player avatars business is a bit annoying. I have less of a sense of what's going on with this approach than I do with The Golf Club's ghost ball approach. And you still have the option to manually enable turn-based play in TGC, although it doesn't know how to score a match play event when you do, you can still at least score one manually. RMPGAT's multiplay just feels really wonked! I hope they make some changes here.

There are rumors of some sort of miracle working patch on Tuesday. I'll have to see where that goes. I also want to get some opinions from PS4 version players on Tuesday, with the day one patch and the expected resolution increase over the XB1 version. I just know I want be buying it day one this year, unless I hear of some radical changes with this new patch. I'll be at the beach next week on vacation, but I'll have my PS4 with me if there's a paradigm changing fix though

[TCrouch]

I've got the PS4 version paid for...so I'll definitely be one of those guys.

Ignore my opinion, though, because I was having fun with the XB1 version last night after I got my tempo crap sorted out. There's still a disconnect in the swing itself, but the thought process in how to attack any given shot, risk vs. reward was all there. And that's what I love about golf.

[Danimal]

I canceled my pre-order from amazon. I'll pick it up when it goes on sale, I feel it's worth $30 but not more than that. I don't need the game to be ultra realistic but I need it to be a bit more beefy feature wise.

[Sudz]

Is there a way to see a FULL leaderboard during a tourney?

[J_Cauthen]

I've got the PS4 version paid for...so I'll definitely be one of those guys.

Ignore my opinion, though, because I was having fun with the XB1 version last night after I got my tempo crap sorted out. There's still a disconnect in the swing itself, but the thought process in how to attack any given shot, risk vs. reward was all there. And that's what I love about golf.

I'll definitely be anticipating your opinion on this. I guess I was so critical in my analysis that I didn't make it clear that I was getting some degree of competitive satisfaction out of the gameplay, even in its current state. I'm not ripping up the courses in my harsher than Tour Pro mode settings and I like the scoring challenge. I'm finishing where a PGA Tour rookie should finish in the career mode events, near the bottom, but seeing progress. You do have to think your shots through and factor the slope of your lie, the elevation changes, the green firmness and speed, pin location, etc. so it's got that going for it.

I'll be very curious to read your thoughts on how the resolution change, and more importantly, how the possibly higher frame rate of the PS4 version affects your overall experience with swing management

[J_Cauthen]

Is there a way to see a FULL leaderboard during a tourney?

No... and isn't that unbelievable!? I was so pleased with Tiger Woods 14's live, hole-by-hole leaderboards while playing online tournaments; it was a great competitive dynamic. You don't see diddly about what's going on elsewhere until after your round is complete... what a head-scratcher

[Sudz]

Is there a way to see a FULL leaderboard during a tourney?

No... and isn't that unbelievable!? I was so pleased with Tiger Woods 14's live, hole-by-hole leaderboards while playing online tournaments; it was a great competitive dynamic. You don't see diddly about what's going on elsewhere until after your round is complete... what a head-scratcher

That's just absurd. Hell, do they even have a cut after round 2?

[J_Cauthen]

I canceled my pre-order from amazon. I'll pick it up when it goes on sale, I feel it's worth $30 but not more than that. I don't need the game to be ultra realistic but I need it to be a bit more beefy feature wise.

I think you're making a smart move and I do expect the features to be brought more up to the norm in the months ahead. I just hope they can do something to help with the feel in the golf swing.

[J_Cauthen]

That's just absurd. Hell, do they even have a cut after round 2?

Yes, so there is some order left in the world

[Sudz]

Since we've all bitched about the lack of decent create a player heads in the game...

why the hell don't all EA Sports games just share the same set of fake heads? There has got to be like 100 between Fifa, Live, NHL and madden?

[Danimal]

Since we've all bitched about the lack of decent create a player heads in the game...

why the hell don't all EA Sports games just share the same set of fake heads? There has got to be like 100 between Fifa, Live, NHL and madden?

My guess would be since this game was rebuilt and is the first? sports title to use Frostbite they couldn't just share the assets. I'm sure just bringing them in might not be that big of a deal but I have to imagine the dev team for this game is rally small and it's not a high priority over at EA

[TCrouch]

The heads wouldn't bother me if they just simply had facial hair options.

[10spro]

The heads wouldn't bother me if they just simply had facial hair options.

Maybe Ramjag had some stinky influence in this title and is saving the mustaches and beards for the next edition as he's doing with NHL which was built from scratch for the current consoles.

[10spro]

My current CAG is at level 65, and with about five hours left to play, I'd like to know who would like to give a H2H try. I know there's no XP's involved playing online but it would be fun maybe tonight or over the weekend. And if there's not much DSP online interest in this title, I am thinking of getting the PS4 version instead as I have this suspicion that it'll run a little better as it does with TGC and after my sour taste experience with Project Cars 4.

[TCrouch]

I would love to. Tried last night but had no takers. I think my CAG is around the same.

It'd have to be early in the evening, though, as the DSP GTA 5 heist crew is going to start shooting sh*t at 8ET.

[J_Cauthen]

My current CAG is at level 65, and with about five hours left to play, I'd like to know who would like to give a H2H try. I know there's no XP's involved playing online but it would be fun maybe tonight or over the weekend. And if there's not much DSP online interest in this title, I am thinking of getting the PS4 version instead as I have this suspicion that it'll run a little better as it does with TGC and after my sour taste experience with Project Cars 4.

I'll be able to play later tonight James. I should be free around 9:30/10 PM EDT. Terry is going to be my barometer on the PS4 version. I'm hoping some miracle patch is indeed put into place and perhaps the PS4's possibly higher frame rate will help with the gap I'm feeling in the swing interface in the XB1 version.

[Sudz]

I would love to. Tried last night but had no takers. I think my CAG is around the same.

It'd have to be early in the evening, though, as the DSP GTA 5 heist crew is going to start shooting sh*t at 8ET.

I'll be on around 7:30. hell, i'd be interested in GTA V too.

[10spro]

My current CAG is at level 65, and with about five hours left to play, I'd like to know who would like to give a H2H try. I know there's no XP's involved playing online but it would be fun maybe tonight or over the weekend. And if there's not much DSP online interest in this title, I am thinking of getting the PS4 version instead as I have this suspicion that it'll run a little better as it does with TGC and after my sour taste experience with Project Cars 4.

I'll be able to play later tonight James. I should be free around 9:30/10 PM EDT. Terry is going to be my barometer on the PS4 version. I'm hoping some miracle patch is indeed put into place and perhaps the PS4's possibly higher frame rate will help with the gap I'm feeling in the swing interface in the XB1 version.

Fantastic. That would be around 7 PM my time zone and I'll make an effort aiming around that time. I know I am not playing TGC for awhile now, because the bring the putt back longer swing will definitely screw up my current tippy toe twitch putts. But if the three of us can give it a swing, it would be a good experience. The only reason I may swing towards the PS4 is primarily the lack of interest perhaps from the DSP crew at this time, while the higher frame rate for sure will smooth things out too as you know with your experience playing the TGC on the PS4. Plus, we'll hook up with Merace too.

[J_Cauthen]

Fantastic. That would be around 7 PM my time zone and I'll make an effort aiming around that time. I know I am not playing TGC for awhile now, because the bring the putt back longer swing will definitely screw up my current tippy toe twitch putts. But if the three of us can give it a swing, it would be a good experience. The only reason I may swing towards the PS4 is primarily the lack of interest perhaps from the DSP crew at this time, while the higher frame rate for sure will smooth things out too as you know with your experience playing the TGC on the PS4. Plus, we'll hook up with Merace too.

I'll make it a point to be on at least by 10 PM EDT, if you're not around then... I'll piddle with it until you and Terry, and whoever else wants to show up makes an appearance. The TGC experience on the PS4 is still markedly better than it is on the XB1, but I might be hoping against hope for as big a difference with Rory McIlroy PGA Tour... still, it's a possibility that deserves attention.

[DivotMaker]

I had the same initial reactions, even surprising my wife when she asked how I liked it and my response was "I hate it so far".

I warmed up to it completely last night, but even then your concerns were still spot on--putting, I'm filling the green meter. But that tempo you have is the same thing I had. You'll get lower tempo if you hold the stick at the end of the follow through even a tiny bit. The swing itself can feel identical, but if you hold your follow through for even a fraction of a second, it lowers tempo.

Which, of course, lends more weight to your swing disconnect feeling. Nothing about the swing feels organic or simulates a golf swing, IMO.

Nobody has innovated a golf swing in a console game for years. Why don't we try both analog sticks...and a trigger? Address the ball by holding right on the R stick (or L on the R stick for lefties), shift the weight back with the L stick, and rotate the R stick around as if you're bringing the club around you...and moving both sticks at once for balance and rotation? At the point of contact, pull a trigger for forearm rotation, and all of those together create a straight shot. Want a fade? Less trigger/forearm rotation. Want a draw? Less weight shift (can't really simulate less torso rotation if the R stick is controlling the swing).

I just don't like the simplistic forward/back, but at least it made sense to me after I figured out the issues I had holding the stick for a fraction of a second on my follow through in RM.

Other companies have tried, even EA with TW14 with the Diagonal swing and Strike Meter. TW14 was a commercial failure, but I doubt Simulation Mode was a or the sole factor. John Daly Prostroke tried using the opposite stick be a weight shift into the striking of the ball and that game died on the vine. The problem as I see it, EA is a mass market company looking to cater to a mass market audience. They tried simulation features and feel like they got burned by poor sales. TGC is hailed by some as a "sim". Hardly. Tee to Green easier than RM. Questionable putting engine that seemingly never gets addressed. HBS is staying FAR away from giving users more a more challenging swing mechanic. So what do we do? I do not have the answer, but I am beginning to think we will never see fully scalable difficulty in a commercially video Golf game. To me, that is the answer, but it raises all sorts of questions for the rest of the user community who play different difficulty levels.

As far as the swing, I am not "flicking" the stick like I was early on as I am trying to dial in a "Perfect" swing with 0-3% Over-swing. When I flick the stick, I get from 4-11% Fast and 3-7% over-swing meaning I am overshooting most of my approach shots. I think the Tempo is not as sever on full shots as it seems but I agree it could be a tad slower and more intuitive. Putting, I am really beginning to get a feel for all ranges of putts shooting 66 at Bay Hill last night on Custom TOUR mode and -1 this AM that included 6 birdies, 2 dbl bogeys, and a bogey. Bogey and double bogeys all over-swing related. Another key in the full swing is to not pull the stick all the way back, but watch for the golfer ANI and gauge the backswing on that. Getting much better results with that. Anxious for Tuesday to get here so I can stop hurrying everything I do with the game.

[10spro]

Fantastic. That would be around 7 PM my time zone and I'll make an effort aiming around that time. I know I am not playing TGC for awhile now, because the bring the putt back longer swing will definitely screw up my current tippy toe twitch putts. But if the three of us can give it a swing, it would be a good experience. The only reason I may swing towards the PS4 is primarily the lack of interest perhaps from the DSP crew at this time, while the higher frame rate for sure will smooth things out too as you know with your experience playing the TGC on the PS4. Plus, we'll hook up with Merace too.

I'll make it a point to be on at least by 10 PM EDT, if you're not around then... I'll piddle with it until you and Terry, and whoever else wants to shot up makes an appearance. The TGC experience on the PS4 is still markedly better than it is on the XB1, but I might be hoping against hope for as big a difference with Rory McIlroy PGA Tour... still, it's a possibility that deserves attention.

John, may I suggest you setting up the course, conditions, etc. But DO leave zoom on . What I'll do is check my smartglass app around that time and send you a message. That way you may also save some precious minutes with EA access, but I'll be checking with you first. Hope Terry can make it too then.

[DivotMaker]

I'm hoping some miracle patch is indeed put into place and perhaps the PS4's possibly higher frame rate will help with the gap I'm feeling in the swing interface in the XB1 version.

I'll make it a point to be on at least by 10 PM EDT, if you're not around then... I'll piddle with it until you and Terry, and whoever else wants to shot up makes an appearance. The TGC experience on the PS4 is still markedly better than it is on the XB1, but I might be hoping against hope for as big a difference with Rory McIlroy PGA Tour... still, it's a possibility that deserves attention.

Not sure I agree with either statement since the 900p patch. Played over 200 rounds with both machines and the difference in rendering are minor at this point IMO.

Not seeing any RM frame rate issues here, certainly nothing impacting the swing. Trust me, I also know what frame rate issues are like with the Xbox TGC pre-900p patch......