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Latest Feature Requests - Proposal for WGTIcon and WGT

• SteveW65 4,540 Posts

  Thu, May 29 2014 12:52 AM

  Fashionably late to this party. I read the 1st 10 pages or so, getting reasonably excited about the prospect of at least being able to see what ideas WGT thought were feasible. And then I got to Icons response (yes, it was a year ago) saying they had discussed it internally but could not make any comment.

  Is it just me or is this just a little pathetic (I love WGT so please don't take offence). All that was being asked for, in a very professional way (by Alanti), was an indication of what WGT liked as an idea - not when it would implement it. Just a little feedback 'yes, we like that and it may be possible'. Seriously, is that asking too much?

  Without any response, we just stay frustrated! I've posted a couple of suggestions regarding UEL mode, but nothing. I was about to post it in this thread but what's the point? I can't imagine having a similar communication strategy for my business!

  And now, this thread, which could (and should) be the primary focal point of communication between the punters and WGT, has started to fill with the usual junk or people arguing with each other - and the picture posters / insulters.

  Ha, maybe we get what we deserve eh? 

  If I've missed a more positive response from WGT over the last 10 pages of this post then I apologise (delighted if anyone can point me to it if there is one) but I got bored of some of the less well considered additions to the discussion.

  Slightly disappointed!

• alosso 21,034 Posts

  Thu, May 29 2014 2:13 AM

  SteveW65:

  All that was being asked for, in a very professional way (by Alanti), was an indication of what WGT liked as an idea - not when it would implement it. Just a little feedback 'yes, we like that and it may be possible'. Seriously, is that asking too much?

  Apparently so. They never tell us - this is a public forum visible to the whole online world. The Hold-your-Tongue tribe from San Francisco Valley keeps all their business secrets safely hidden!

• PTrenter 435 Posts

  Wed, Jun 4 2014 1:41 AM

  Great work on introducing brackets into the CCs.  What would be very handy though would be to expand on this format.  A few ideas:

  - Ability to input CC members manually into bracket spaces.  Would make our matchplay comps a lot easier.

  - Have a randomiser setting so that once the bracket is full, the names are jumbled into the draw.

  - Incorporate registration deadlines and in turn byes for spaces unfilled.  Would need tweaking so that byes are spread out through draw.

  - Linked with the last.  Perhaps adjust bracket size dependent on entrants, moving to a 32 size if needed.  You could add max courses and then only use those which are needed.

  - Give more options on round times.  The current options pretty much limit most to 9 hole rounds.  I'd like to see 42h and 72h options added.

   

• alanti 10,564 Posts

  Wed, Jun 4 2014 2:51 AM

  SteveW65:

  Slightly disappointed!

  LOL, that is a rather conservative view :)

  Prior to this thread I had asked "what if" a compilation of common requests from players was formulated, would WGT comment - the answer was yes.

  So Icon created this thread, and he did have the decency to sticky the thread. However when this turned to a definitive NO COMMENT, I too was slightly disappointed.

  The intention was to have a two way communication with WGT, with no time frames to tie them down. This was IMO the single most important aspect of this thread - as communication was and sadly is still nothing short of diabolical on WGT side.

  Sadly nothing changed to this day, and judging by the disgraceful silence with the "stability" bugs recently, it never will.

  Either the management is paranoid that information will allow competitors a heads up, or the management is totally clueless. 

  The mods then bear the brunt of our frustrations but in all fairness are not allowed to say anything under a dictatorial management regime.

  This is or at least was a great game, and is still the best around, but at some stage a genuine competitor will come along and players will leave in droves.

  I admire what Chad has done, and had the vision to deliver this game, but this company needs management who are customer focused and driven. 

  I once had the "pleasure" of meeting Richard Branson - funnily enough not to dissimilar to Chad  in being a visionary entrepreneur. I have not met Chad but RB was and is an ***, a shocking manager but I give him credit, he surrounds himself with a great team who have a voice. Just saying....

• spy88 205 Posts

  Sat, Jun 7 2014 6:37 PM

  alanti,

  After 40 pages of posts (half of which had nothing or very little to do with your original idea), I've decided to simply state the obvious reasons (to me) as to why WGT cannot/will not respond to your list nor act upon them in a timely manner, if at all.

  1)  If you narrowed down the list to the 5 or 10 most important game-playing aspects that seriously need addressing, then we may have a starting place.  Instead, WGT is inundated with dozens (hundreds, thousands?) of particular alterations, personal preferences, ideas, wishes, dreams even, that they may or may not have even considered on their own that will never be incorporated.  Then...

  2)  You need a majority of the millions of players world-wide to participate and demand these change(s)...or else.  Unfortunately, the majority aren't active in the forums.  They simply wish to play the game and accept changes as they appear which means the "or else" will never happen...and WGT knows this.  Thus...

  3)  WGT is making a sizable profit with the "status quo".  What possible incentive is there for them to listen to us (let alone act) on anything a very small minority of members request...regardless of the logical, necessary and betterment of play or playability?   

  3)  I don't know how many mods there are to respond to queries posted regardless of content, but I'm sure they aren't given free license to post as they please.  They have people to answer to and can only say so much with limited personal knowledge before a "can't comment" stops them.  They are the middlemen and are probably just as frustrated as we are about it all.

  4)  How many members speak enough English and follow the forums?  Again...not the majority.  Most can chat a "gl", "ns", or a "gb" etc., but it is mho that they are not interested and/or are unable to participate in points 1 and 2.

  Personally, I can't understand why WGT was set up as it is instead of shot-shaping which is one of the most important aspects of skilled golf.  Aiming to counteract or go with totally abnormal wind conditions is not the golf I've played for over 45 years.  Yes, this is a game but realism should always be the ultimate goal.  Nor can I understand why elevations are withheld until your turn.  If elevations are posted at all times to all players (just as distances are), where could there possibly be any "advantage" (as one mod stated) to any one player?  (I suggested this to maybe reduce shot and game times).

  No matter how logical and necessary the improvements suggested are needed vs. the present format of play and only play, nothing will happen unless we go from a telescope to a microscope...and don't put in another slide until the first is completely taken care of.

  jm2cw...fwiw            

• AnnieOaklys 115 Posts

  Tue, Jun 10 2014 6:14 AM

  stop the varied reactions of the meter,.

  its   NOT   My internet speed)    most people pay money to play,..  but! as the meter line goes along depending on where you need to stop it,. WILL run fast or slow trying to keep you from hitting where you need to,.. now wgt the games are hard enough without the meter doing this,.. i don't mean jump ,skip ,anything to do with internet speed I mean I know the meter is programing, and I know its stopping short so you dont hit where you want it!!!!!!!!!!!!!will run slow!!! then fast over where You need to stop it,..

     I KNOW this isnt a glitch! its the programing,. .. and wgt knows it since wgt are the ones that programmed it to do it,.. cant even tell me its my computer-network-blah blah blah  ,.. wgt makes enough money,.. and if you dont care how many people you lose then wgt is to BIG for there britches!,..

     I payed for the good balls and the meter  was great the first few times then they act like plain cheap balls,... guess ill go back to cheap balls dont tell me its My computer,,,

  I have better then many   on speed,...  I have a gaming computer!,... I have a son who  has a degree in computer Science   and HE makes sure this computer  is running at its best so that aside,......

   

              make the dang meter consistent

             METER          METER                   METER!,......CONSISTENT!

   

     if you wgt wants to expand its money making then MAKE better avatars!,..

  make them better customized!,...

    stop whipping People with short lived balls!,..  its crappy how fast expensive balls go!

   

  wonder how long wgt would hold on if every dang person on this site boycott!   

   and for the love of golf fix the dang programing!,....

   

• ShadyShank 629 Posts

  Thu, Jun 12 2014 7:36 AM

  Okay. I have finished reading from the last point I was at on this thread and, although I didn't see it mentioned, I realize I'm probably repeating an issue that has been described, and has been asked to be fixed, to more properly reflect the reality of what we face on any given course. BTW, this is my last complaint/suggestion post until, and unless, improvements are made. And if there is one thing that factors into many shots we must hit, that absolutely has no uniformity from course to course, and hole to hole, it is elevation.

  42 feet of upward elevation on BPB equals exactly 42 feet of upward elevation at Cabo...but it doesn't. It's not even close. WGT, if you want to fix one single thing that will make the game more enjoyable for some, and simply will be uniform and make sense for most, then you need to address the huge variations in elevation, and how it is impossible to work into shots, from course to course. IOW's, if I have a shot that says I need to adjust for 30 feet of elevation, this becomes another variable in the equation that we all must figure out in order to hit the shot with the proper club and power.

  But, if that 30 feet is really only 10 feet that needs worked into the equation, most of us will be TL's by the time we have figured out every discrepancy in elevation, on any hole on any course, in order to hit the correct shot. The only term I can think of to describe how elevation can be worked into a shot equation would be, non-existent.

  If I'm not doing a very good job explaining my point, I apologize, but please bear with me on this last attempt. Here's the example. I have the exact same yardage, wind speed & direction, & same elevation in feet but on two different courses. On both shots I hit a full 8 iron and ding both. On one course, the ball lands nicely 2 feet from the cup, but the other shot, which has all the same variables, flies the green and lands 30 yards past it in deep brush. Could be me just not understanding that 30 feet up elevation on one course equals 0 feet on another.

  Whatever the case, I have yet to find any commonalities, other than there are none. And, if the answer is something like, this course is in Colorado and the other is in Texas, then I really am done, exactly, at that point.

• Soggyblogger 224 Posts

  Thu, Jun 12 2014 11:13 AM

  What players need to get the game they want is competition for WGT. And competition is probably why WGT likes to play it close to the vest. However, if another company had a game the equal of this game, but allowed more player input, that game would attract those who like being listened to.

  Or just a better game using many of the listed suggestions. I wish there were 8 or 10 games to choose between. Competition is what is going to find the sweet spot between profit and economy for the player.

  Right now, just guessing, I imagine WGT is a money making machine. How much of their profits do they invest in a better game or return as rebates? We don't know a thing, and have no legal right to know the profit and loss sheet for a private company.

  Given there is only this one game really available online, and assuming this IS a gold mine, then other games will be along....eventually. If they are struggling to make ends meet then they would need to raise prices, and might not expect any new entrants into the market.

  My best guess is this IS a gold mine, and some invester is going to want a piece of it. How much money would it take to build a better game? I have no idea, but there are plenty of software companies looking for something to do.

  The fact we don't have competition is the best evidence that we may be getting pretty much what we are paying for. But time will tell us for sure. 

• WGTadmin2 1,152 Posts

  Sat, Jun 14 2014 9:57 PM

  The reality is that WGT is still a relatively small company and we do depend on you our players to spend your money so we can pay our bills and employees.  We are not a big faceless corporation, but a bunch of of folks trying to make our virtual golf dreams come true and feed our families (While fight big company competitors). Withholding your purchases actually makes it harder for us to keep the servers and features coming.   We plow every dollar back into the product, especially new course like pebble, which take a lot of our cash. Every purchase you make is a donation back into the product.

  That being said we do make mistakes and we can make this game better.  In that spirit we are going to be more communicative in this thread. As stated above, if you can help us think of the 3 most important things we can do, please post them here:

   

  Here are the main features we are addressing in the near future

  - Alt shot disconnects - not sure if we can fix it all but we have fixed a few bugs here

  - changing the chipping system

  - Multiplayer lobby issues - again not all fixed but it will get better

  - server issues causing disconnects 

  - enhancing country clubs - give the owners more tools

  - adding better handling of crashes so we can help you diagnose the problems

  - adding more feature into our WGT mobile game

  - tweeking the game a bit so it will play faster

  - giving the player more information on what is going on in the game so you can at least understand when a something "inconsistent" happens

  - maybe adding a new tier

   

  Thanks for playing and reading my essay 

• SteveW65 4,540 Posts

  Sat, Jun 14 2014 10:27 PM

  WGTadmin2:

   In that spirit we are going to be more communicative in this thread.

  That is very good news, thanks!