Re: Thoughts on cosmetic equipment?

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@sroel908 wrote:

Personally, I'm against the idea of "pay to win", so I am perfectly fine that the clubs and gear are strictly cosmetic. I have purchased Clubhouse/Pro Passes in EA and 2K because I wanted items based on their appearance.

Imagine if the Jack Nicklaus and Jordan Spieth Legendary Specs in the last tier of this season's Pro Pass were locked behind the paywall...people would lose it, saying that those paying real money would get a major advantage. Same thing would happen if boosted clubs were only available in the Premium tier.

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I can see you thoughts on the pay-to-win concept. But it isn't like these items would be overpowered... just balanced differently. But you make a valid point that has merit.

2K got around this for the most part by creating a generic club close to the same attributes, until they too went generic.

As for the specs I could do without them... let me tinker with my equipment in the lab through shaft types, grips and being able to adjust the lie angles on my irons/wedges.

Maybe even to be able to add hook,draw and loft to my driver if the real life club allows it?

I've got a feeling it's to get Titleist in the game. Titleist was never in EA games, Nike was always the top sponsor, with their equipment having the top attributes in the game. When you were finally able to get the Nike equipment, you had the top equipment in the game, although it was a little bit more nuance in TW14.  By having all clubs and balls the same, it's perfectly acceptable for all brands that none is view as superior to others.

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@sroel908 wrote:
@Katybee_1313This makes loads of sense, as 2K21 was the first 2K game (and the first golf game at all, as far as I can remember) to have Titleist clubs/gear for the user to equip, and clubs in that game were purely cosmetic.

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It has been awhile... but I am pretty sure attributes where on the clubs in 2K21.

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@ELF014 wrote:

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@sroel908 wrote:
@Katybee_1313This makes loads of sense, as 2K21 was the first 2K game (and the first golf game at all, as far as I can remember) to have Titleist clubs/gear for the user to equip, and clubs in that game were purely cosmetic.

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It has been awhile... but I am pretty sure attributes where on the clubs in 2K21.

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You are absolutely correct. My apologies!

And since that was the case, I guess attribute differences weren't a consideration then after all - in terms of getting Titleist into the game.

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@sroel908 wrote:

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@ELF014 wrote:

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@sroel908 wrote:
@Katybee_1313This makes loads of sense, as 2K21 was the first 2K game (and the first golf game at all, as far as I can remember) to have Titleist clubs/gear for the user to equip, and clubs in that game were purely cosmetic.

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It has been awhile... but I am pretty sure attributes where on the clubs in 2K21.

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You are absolutely correct. My apologies!

And since that was the case, I guess attribute differences weren't a consideration then after all - in terms of getting Titleist into the game.

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Though it did cross my mind if this whole cosmetic idea was done to appease all the different companies so no one looked bad.

That a set of Titleist Clubs play just as well as a generic EA set. Are we really all that gullible?

I don't think any of us are going to buy clubs based on how they play in a video game.

@ELF014I wouldn't be surprised if that was something that a brand (or brands) brought up when licensing discussions happened in future games...like some brand executives were offended when their brand was portrayed as a "lesser" brand than others.

Even in EA PGA Tour, some clubs (specifically, a few Scotty Cameron putters) can only be bought with the green currency that's only attainable by paying real money. So it seems like some brands have a higher view of their value, exclusivity, and "quality".

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@ELF014 wrote:

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Though it did cross my mind if this whole cosmetic idea was done to appease all the different companies so no one looked bad.

That a set of Titleist Clubs play just as well as a generic EA set. Are we really all that gullible?

I don't think any of us are going to buy clubs based on how they play in a video game.

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I honestly believe this is why there are blueprints as opposed to clubs with specific attributes.

Think of it this way.  Let's say you are the lawyer for Taylormade and the game wants to license your Qi10 driver.   Well as the lawyer for Taylormade, your first question should be, "will this be the best statted Driver in the game?  Because we have the best driver."   If the answer is "Why no, we gave the best stats to the Callaway Paradym, but you will get the second best stats!", then your duty as the Taylormade lawyer is to pass on the licensing deal.  There is no way you let another Driver be perceived as better than yours in any marketing material,  even if it's just a video game.

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@ELF014 wrote:

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@sroel908 wrote:
@Katybee_1313This makes loads of sense, as 2K21 was the first 2K game (and the first golf game at all, as far as I can remember) to have Titleist clubs/gear for the user to equip, and clubs in that game were purely cosmetic.

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It has been awhile... but I am pretty sure attributes where on the clubs in 2K21.

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They actually had attributes on them. When 2K21 got newly released, the Wilson clubs had the best attributes that was available for purchase. When I started playing, my created golfer was playing like Nancy Lopez in her prime. The top attributed Titlist clubs were available as sponsor challenges that you had to earn. By 2K23, the clubs are purely cosmetic. Thus my created golfer played more like Nancy Kerrigan until I built up her attributes.

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@PalomaMarvel24 wrote:

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@ELF014 wrote:

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@sroel908 wrote:
@Katybee_1313This makes loads of sense, as 2K21 was the first 2K game (and the first golf game at all, as far as I can remember) to have Titleist clubs/gear for the user to equip, and clubs in that game were purely cosmetic.

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It has been awhile... but I am pretty sure attributes where on the clubs in 2K21.

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They actually had attributes on them. When 2K21 got newly released, the Wilson clubs had the best attributes that was available for purchase. When I started playing, my created golfer was playing like Nancy Lopez in her prime. The top attributed Titlist clubs were available as sponsor challenges that you had to earn. By 2K23, the clubs are purely cosmetic. Thus my created golfer played more like Nancy Kerrigan until I built up her attributes.

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Personally I like mixing and matching equipment. Being that mad scientist in a lab trying find what workd best for me. It keeps me engaged in the game, trying to find ways to score better.

Unlike most people I could do without the endorsements if they would instead spend the money on lincensing on the game instead.

I have no problems playing with a Taliormade Club, or one called Titled, Galloway... etc. I would even appreciate it if they matched what attributes were available from real data to these sudo counterparts.

I could even live without the PGA branding, and pro names. There was a version of The Golf Club that let you rename the pro players in the career mode. I thought that was a great idea, this was prior to 2K getting the licensing.

But then I am in the minority I guess where I am not swayed by branding. I am more of a meat and potatoes guy. I'm looking for some substance in the game... rather than the fluff.

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@7AnimalMother wrote:

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@ELF014 wrote:

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Though it did cross my mind if this whole cosmetic idea was done to appease all the different companies so no one looked bad.

That a set of Titleist Clubs play just as well as a generic EA set. Are we really all that gullible?

I don't think any of us are going to buy clubs based on how they play in a video game.

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I honestly believe this is why there are blueprints as opposed to clubs with specific attributes.

Think of it this way.  Let's say you are the lawyer for Taylormade and the game wants to license your Qi10 driver.   Well as the lawyer for Taylormade, your first question should be, "will this be the best statted Driver in the game?  Because we have the best driver."   If the answer is "Why no, we gave the best stats to the Callaway Paradym, but you will get the second best stats!", then your duty as the Taylormade lawyer is to pass on the licensing deal.  There is no way you let another Driver be perceived as better than yours in any marketing material,  even if it's just a video game.

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I absolutely appreciate your point.