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Rising concerns about the game I love.....

• tiffer67 1,764 Posts

  Sun, Oct 2 2011 4:28 PM

  I have been a player on WGT for close to 2 years now. I love the game, the community and the camaraderie that exists with those players whom I regularly play with. Met some really great people here and played some fantastic players. I've now amassed over 5,300 ranked rounds in this time, which tells you just how much I do love this game.

  However my love for the game is waning fast, particularly so in the last few months. The reason for this is purely down to 1 issue and that is the very integrity of the game itself. Increasingly over the last few months there appear to be a plethora of new accounts that are immediately shooting scores more aligned to the very best of the long standing elite players on wgt, than that of a "new" player.

  Let me give you this example. This player has been a member less than 6 weeks. Their score history is as follows;

  33,31,32,27,29,30,29,29,28,29,28,29,58,27,30,28,28,29,29,28 & 28.

  No names from me here, no screenshots, I don't want to fall foul of the T&Cs. You'll just have to take my word that the above is true.

  There are many many great players on this site, guys and girls way better than me. I am perfectly at ease with that, indeed I have the utmost respect for many of the best players on here. However, what we are seeing is that WGT has an increasing problem with the integrity of competition. We have amateurs winning ready go tournaments with starter clubs, We have Pro players with score histories like the above. It's not right and if it continues to grow at the pace we've seen recently, this game will become a farce.

  WGT's stance seems to be to brush these issues under the carpet, keep everything quiet. I don't want to see the usual if you suspect a player blah blah blah...... We should not be having to police our own community, it should be WGT's responsibility to ensure this game is fair for everyone. I have real worries over where this game is going with regard to this issue. I really really hope this situation doesn't get worse but I fear it will. If that becomes the case people will lose faith in the game.

  I am off on holiday now for a couple of weeks and hope this thread will stimulate some discussion, free discussion without fear of accounts being suspended etc. Hopefully the break will recharge my batteries and love of the game, just in time for the Ryder Cup :^)

• gsoup 2,929 Posts

  Mon, Oct 3 2011 11:34 PM

  Very well said Tiffer, there was 16 pages of the 'big brother thread' plus countless more on the MioKontic threads. i havent noticed WGT making any statements. Why is that? they make thousands of dollars on advertising, sell stuff out of the virtual pro shop. i alone have close to 50 bucks worth of  virtual equipment, not including all the stuff i have bought and sold back to buy balls and better stuff. i am disabled, this is one of my forms of entertainment.

  im sure there are players who are oblivious to what is going on because they dont   read the forums. which are another form of entertainment for me. from andy and his editing magic to people pasting and posting their homework. i guess quitter threads win the forums most posted complaint, besides meter problems.

  i have noticed, even in the spotlights amateurs that post 28 on their first ready goes they play. i suffer a very bad case of cantfrigginputtworthadamnitis (ask any of my friends), and it still took me over a year and a half to post a 31: a sure sign of something fishy going on. my brain/finger/eye interface sux but i dont think it can be that bad, i can still max score a Galaga, because i cant walk by one without playing it

  wishing WGT would at least post something, may it be to misfits like me in a e-mail or on the main page to let their CUSTOMERS know what is going on. please  let us know what you are planing on one the best games on the web, especially us the paying customer.

  im done, and i hope ill be here tommorow

  -G

  ps mr tibbets when and if you return please look me up to play a round, it would be a pleasure

• robdelahunty 670 Posts

  Tue, Oct 4 2011 1:44 AM

  tiffer67:

  WGT's stance seems to be to brush these issues under the carpet, keep everything quiet.

  Afraid i have to agree,there was a thread"Sandbaggers" (now dissapered),where we got a qoute from HQ: "Just don't play with em"!

  Then there's Mio who was outing the cheats and he gets removed as well!

  There are folks on here who WGT could employ to eradicate the problems,hey WGT they would probably do it for free!Or is it just that you make mega $$$$ from the multi accounters and Sandbaggers?There are so many threads ongoing regarding these issues and you have not replied to any of them apart from "lets keep it clean" in the Devs tourney,which is so full of irony,it's untrue!

• renniw52 5,385 Posts

  Tue, Oct 4 2011 5:28 AM

  WGT's response is obvious,, there are 2 more highlighted this morning, Sub 30 rounds after only 16 ranked rounds. Again, I thought this was a random posting. I have seen this one player on here before. The other only has 6 ranked rounds and has never had a bogey. What a natural talent.

• frappefort 3,994 Posts

  Tue, Oct 4 2011 6:54 AM

  you are correct all  of you ....the only thing i feel WGT is doing is posting the funny penguins on the highlight...because  i think there is no way they can prouve anything....so iplay weekly free tournies...stick to friends and CC that i check for Penguins now and then .....i am sure they are trying to do something about it ....(i am sure they dont want others ( countrys)(or peoples) to come up with another golf game like this one with less bug  and problems we have been posting ....so keep brain storming a solution for us players .........the moneay is not the issue .....i want to keep on having fun with this game ...Francois (Montreal)

• hpurey 11,505 Posts

  Tue, Oct 4 2011 11:21 AM

  frappefort:

  .........the money is not the issue .....i want to keep on having fun with this game 

  Same here !

• TurkishTerror 2,177 Posts

  Tue, Oct 4 2011 12:28 PM

  Did they delete MIO's account?

• gsoup 2,929 Posts

  Wed, Oct 5 2011 3:16 AM

  TurkishTerror:

  Did they delete MIO's account?

  his profile is there if he is on your friends list, he cannot be found if you look under the WGT community

• tiffer67 1,764 Posts

  Wed, Oct 19 2011 9:40 PM

  robdelahunty:

  There are folks on here who WGT could employ to eradicate the problems,hey WGT they would probably do it for free!

  There most certainly are people on here who would love to assist WGT, in whatever way possible to seek improvements to the game and the community in general. I am certain the vast majority wouldn't even consider seeking a wage for it. This is a game that thousands of people feel passionately over, it's a fantastic leisure activity that hooks you in and doesn't let go.

  Why the hell not utilise this passion to their advantage? 9 months ago I emailed WGT suggesting that rather than their existing community spotlight on players, they should have a monthly Q&A with one of the regular players. An elite player, a Yancy, an owner of a successful CC etc etc.

  I'd love to hear what Bollox, Pricehcs, Jake etc have to say on a range of questions.

  In fact Bollox if you read this, is there any player who has the Indian Sign over you? Anyone who beats you more often than you beat them? How do you go about practicing for the Majors? What do you consider to be your greatest round? Are you superstitious at all, do you have lucky pants, dug out for the big tournaments? Do you only wear blue in the last round a la Seve? You get my drift.

  I suggested that any Q&A could be tailored to the player and then the answers published on the forum once a month. I got a lovely email back saying "what a great idea" unfortunately "we don't have the resources". Maybe that was just a token thanks but no thanks answer but the fact is you do have the resources....the members here!

  I for one would be delighted to take time out on their behalf and try to make it an interesting feature. It may well be a pile of dog do but there are many other creative souls hanging around these forums that could assist on this or other ideas the community would like to see.

  Just a thought, I'm sure people aren't looking for an equity partnership in the business in exchange.

• BolloxInBruges 1,389 Posts

  Wed, Oct 19 2011 10:04 PM

  tiffer67:

  robdelahunty:

  There are folks on here who WGT could employ to eradicate the problems,hey WGT they would probably do it for free!

   

  In fact Bollox if you read this, is there any player who has the Indian Sign over you? Anyone who beats you more often than you beat them? How do you go about practicing for the Majors? What do you consider to be your greatest round? Are you superstitious at all, do you have lucky pants, dug out for the big tournaments? Do you only wear blue in the last round a la Seve? You get my drift.

   

  I did happen to read this :)   I'm not sure what you mean by indian sign, must be a UK expression.   Not sure, but I'm willing to play anyone (legend anyway) in 2k credit matches until one of us goes broke :)   

  When I was self employed working from home in 2010 I practiced HARD for the majors.    For those of you not around in those days, there was no way to practice Oak from the legend tees in high winds, and me being so intent on practicing those conditions I would intentionally hit balls backwards from the master tees, to the legend tees, any time you miss the tee box it was a lost ball, I lost somewhere from 30-50 balls, lol.  This year having a full time normal job I had far less time to practice, and didn't hit a ball for almost a full week due to the US open trip before the virtual one.  Maybe practiced the courses 1/4 as much as 2010.  Next year I will definitely be taking a couple days off of work during the majors to really give it my best shot.

  Greatest round was probably my first 54 from the master tees on kiawah in a RG, maybe april/may of 2010.  At the time nobody had shot below a 56 before, or birdied all 18 holes from the furthest back tees (at the time it was master tees, no legend tier).  It was noteworthy enough for WGT to post it on the homepage/blog so that was a memorable one.

  No superstitions at all.  Do happen to wear blue a lot, probably half my shirts are that color but it wasn't inspired by seve.