As we discussed last week, we’re going to continue rolling out new features for Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 as we are allowed. This week’s blog is in conjunction with the EA SPORTS Season Opener event which is taking place in downtown San Francisco. We wanted to keep everyone on the blogs up to speed with the information that’s being rolled out at the event. You’ll read some stuff in the media about these features, but this is unfiltered and straight from the source.
The guys that were here for the Community Day were able to experience a lot of these features first hand, so I would invite them to be part of the ongoing conversation.
Talk to you soon,
Mike D.
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 – New Features!
New! - USGA License
The U.S. Open is in the game! For the first time in franchise history you’ll be able to play the authentic U.S. Open Championship. Bethpage-Black is the site of this year’s Open, so the course and the officially licensed event will be featured in Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10. We’re taking this one step further in-game by creating U.S. Open style course conditions to help recreate one of the most challenging environments in all of golf. Rough will be thicker, greens will be faster and fairways will be harder in order to more accurately recreate the feel of the U.S. Open Championship.
New! - In-Game Commentary
ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt will be joining the Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman in the booth this year to deliver the commentary in game. We’ve also rewritten a bunch of the commentary script in order to give it a new sound and feel.
You may have already heard about this announcement through ESPN and other web sites, but if you haven’t…check it out.
New! - Precision Putter
In Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 we have created a new putting mechanic which is based on the idea of carrying a single-distance putter in your bag. So what in the world does this mean? Well, this new system will allow for an alternative to our classic putting mechanic, which allowed you to toggle through a variety of max distances. This new putter will always maintain a single max distance, so it will be up to you to dial in the appropriate power and putting line on each shot. A new on-screen Precision Putting Meter will help you during your backswing and follow-through to find the correct stroke…unless you are hardcore and turn the meter off!
This putting mechanic has been an ask from you, the community, for some time now and we’re excited to be including it in this year’s game.
New! - Tournament Atmosphere
In order to increase the dramatic feel of tournament golf, we’ve added a number of new in-game elements to help bring the experience to life.
Broadcast style tournament intros will lead you into each tournament. Kelly Tilghman will set the stage for each event as you get a first look at the day’s tournament leaderboard. Remember, you won’t always be teeing off last in Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 tournaments, so this first view of the leaders will give you an idea of where you are teeing off in comparison to the rest of the field.
Per hole stats will fill you in on how the field is performing at each hole. During the fly-by you’ll see the number of par’s, birdies, eagles and more that have been shot on that hole. Just like in tournament golf, these stats will be reset per round of the tournament, so you can see how the same holes are playing based on that day’s course conditions.
Real-time scoring updates will keep you updated on the field’s progress during your rounds. These scoring updates will trigger while you play holes and the AI golfers move up along the leaderboard or make great shots. As you hear the distant roar of the crowd an update banner will appear at the top of the screen to alert you on the movers and shakers.
This year we’ve also increased our crowd population on the courses in the game. Our goal here is to more closely mimic the galleries seen in tournament golf. You will notice this especially around the tee boxes and the greens.
New! - Dynamic Weather
Whether you set the in-game weather manually or let the game use its dynamic forecasting system, get ready for some rain in Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10. Our dynamic forecasting system will generate a unique weather pattern, allowing the conditions to change from hole to hole. So you may start out with a sunny round and it could turn overcast or cloudy or it might even rain on you. If it does end up raining during your round, you’ll have to take the ground soak into account while hitting shots, since the more it rains the more saturated the ground will get, slowing down the roll on your shots.
We’ve also teamed up with The Weather Channel to bring you live weather. If you have a network connection, you will be able to set the game to pull the most recent liveTWC weather conditions between holes!
Don't forget to stop by the forums and let us know what you think of the blog.