Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 09 Golf Party

Posted 08.6.2008

Hello Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® fans, Greg Rinaldi here.  You probably know me best as the designer of the Photo Game Face feature in Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 08 for Xbox 360 and PS3.  Yes, that was my ugly mug on the back of the box and in the game as an example that no matter how busted your grill is, Photo Game Face will make you a star in the game. ;)  OK, enough self-deprecating humor...that was last year, this year I'm acting as the Development Manager/Designer for Gameplay, Online and UI for Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 09 All-Play on the Nintendo Wii.  In this blog, I'm going to give you guys an overview of some of the awesome features in our new party mode called Golf Party which is exclusive to the Wii version of the game.  This mode was created so that fans of the game of all ages and experience levels can play together and enjoy some friendly competition.  As you'll see, we've included a wide variety of mini-games and some pretty innovative new gameplay that is unlike anything else on the Wii.

The idea for Golf Party was inspired by the social aspects of the Wii console as well as the feedback we've received from you guys; our loyal and passionate golf-gaming community.  It seems like Nintendo's little white box has sparked a revolution (pardon the pun) in the game industry.  People who previously had little interest in video games are now flocking to the Wii.  The biggest eye-opener for me was when I brought my Wii home last Thanksgiving.  My parents, who haven't played a video game since Pong, were both able to pick up a Wii Remote and get into some serious competition.  The thing that really made me take notice was when my mom schooled me at Wii Sports Bowling.  She's a ringer in real bowling and it translated perfectly to the Wii.  In fact, my parents were so invested in the Wii by the end of the weekend that they begged me to leave it there until I returned home for Christmas.  That Christmas, my entire family (aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, etc.) played together and it was a great experience.  It was actually the first time in my life that I was able to share my love of video games with everyone in the family.  So it just seemed natural for us to include a party mode in the game this year, because experiences like the one I described above were common amongst many of us on the development team.  So our goal this year was to give you, our fans, the same sort of "play together" experience in our game...the opportunity share your love of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® with your friends and family.

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® has been and always will be a game that attempts to simulate a real golf experience, but there's no reason why it can't be much more than that.  So with the inclusion of All-Play and Golf Party, we've lifted up the ropes so that those watching from the sidelines (your kids, your parents, your girlfriend, etc.) can step out onto the course and have some fun as well.  To that end, Golf Party includes 15 golf-themed mini-games that are quick and fun for everyone.   There's Ball Juggling, Range Cart Showdown, Speed Golf (one of my favs), Connect, Speed Connect, Shooting Gallery, Long Drive Contest, Closest to the Pin, Target, Capture the Flag, Rings, Putting Challenge, Own the Green, Speed Putting and Mini-Putt.  Each game presents its own unique challenge and each requires its own strategy and skill set.

Take Ball Juggling for example.  I'm sure many of you are familiar with Tiger's famous Nike commercial where he juggles a golf ball on the head of a club.  If not, you can check out the video here.  We felt that this would make for a fun little mini-game and so we created a 2D ball juggling game for Golf Party.  The goal is simple; bounce the ball on the head of the club for as long as you can to rack up points.  To up the ante, we'll drop an additional ball after seven consecutive bounces and we'll spawn pick-ups that will multiply your score.  It seems easy enough, but it can get very challenging when you're trying to manage multiple balls and hit multipliers without dropping any balls.

Another game I'm pretty fond of is called Connect and it's loosely based on the board game Othello.  The goal is simply to capture the most targets on the game board.  You'll be using the pitch shot to land your ball on one of 25 targets on the board.  The game is a healthy mix of both golfing skill and strategy.  Capture two targets in the same row or column and you'll connect the targets between them.  As long as they are all either neutral targets or all captured targets...any combination of neutral/captured will block the connection.  You can even steal targets from another opponent, but you'll need to nail a bullseye.  WARNING:  Stealing targets from certain friends or family members may cause discomfort and uncomfortable silence at future social gatherings.

The ultimate goal of Golf Party is obviously to be crowned the winner so that you can hoot and holler and strut around the room until you make a total buffoon of yourself.  And then your family and friends get really irritated by your cockiness and won't speak to you for a week while they sulk and wallow in their post-party depression.  Well, that's my goal anyway...but maybe you guys are a bit more lighthearted (and humble).  Either way, the game is based on points and those points are earned by winning mini-games.  The player with the most points at the end of 5, 10 or 15 mini-games wins (you can choose the number of mini-games before the party mode starts).

But mini-games aren't the only way to earn points.  So don't fret if you get owned by your 6 year-old cousin, Little Timmy because at the end of each mini-game you'll get to putt for a modifier.  These modifiers are great because they can really shake things up.  We have modifiers that add points to your score and modifiers that allow you to remove points from another player's score.  We also have modifiers that let you take away another player's modifier!  Also, you can earn Ball Battle Tokens here.  What's a Ball Battle Token you ask?  Heh.  Read on, friend.

During the process of designing the Golf Party we were a tad distressed by the fact that there were many times when the players who were not currently taking a shot were sitting on the couch, itching to get in on the action.  This is unavoidable since golf is essentially a turn-based game, but we wanted Golf Party to be action-packed for everyone in the room.  Our solution was an awesome new gameplay feature we call Ball Battle.  Here's how it works:  Let's say Little Timmy is really rocking you at Connect, he's nailing every target; quickly filling up the board with red targets while you maintain one lonely, soon-to-be stolen blue target.  Well, the next time Timmy takes a shot and tries to rob you of your only piece of real estate, you can trigger a Ball Battle by pressing A+B on the Wii remote.  This will cost you one Battle Token, but it's well worth it to see the horror on Timmy's smug little face as you join forces with Grandma Mabel and Aunt Gladys to yank Timmy's shot into the drink.  Timmy can try to defend himself, but your newly formed alliance (let's call it the "Coalition of the Losing") will ensure his defeat.  Tough luck, Timbo Slice!

Another great thing about a Ball Battle is that, no matter who triggers it, everyone in the room with a Wii Remote can participate.  The gameplay is best described as a sort of "Tug-of-War" over the golf ball as everyone attempts to point and grab the ball with their cursor before yanking it left, right up or down.  The person with the quickest reflexes is usually the one who can influence the ball the most, so don't hesitate.  Also, as in the above scenario, it may be best to align yourself with the other lose...er...folks in the room who may be falling behind in points.  Alliances aren't just for surviving a desert island; they're also handy when trying to reduce the excruciating lead held by certain snotty young family members.

Well I hope this sneak peek shows that Golf Party really is a blast to play with friends and family.  We've been having some heated competition here at Tiburon with the mode.  So I hope you guys take advantage of the party mode and get your buddies, your kids, your parents and your significant others together for some fun.  Just don't get mad if cousin Little Timmy teams up with your girlfriend to Ball Battle your longest drive into the spinach.  You've been warned.

Greg Rinaldi | Development Manager:  Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 09 All-Play

New Courses Part 2

Posted 08.5.2008

Welcome back!  Last week we looked at three of the five new courses in the game this year now onto the other two.

A truly classic course located in London, England, The West Course at Wentworth is rich with history and is a place where golf is truly an experience.  It's a venue where the past, present and future come together where classic, timeless golf course design and tournament heritage meets 21^st century course conditioning and immaculate playing surfaces.  Designed by famed golf course architect Harry Colt, the West Course measures out to 7,324 yards and plays to a Par 73. 

Very few courses can boast a tournament history on par with the Wentworth's West Course.  The West annually hosts the HSBC World Matchplay and the European TOUR's flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship.  It also hosted a little event known as the Ryder Cup in 1953 and then the Canada Cup in 1956.  Visually it's very pleasing as the stretch of heathland is surrounded by woodland of pine, oak and birch.  The heavily wooded landscape has aesthetic and strategic benefits in the sense that it is both easy on the eye and ideal for creating well-defined hole routings.  World renowned golfer Ernie Els redesigned Wentworth in 2005 and 2007, bringing a classic piece of work into the 21^st century.  It is a stern test, but above all a fair test.

Last but certainly not least is one of our truly exotic looking courses that will surely please you as it looks unlike any other course in the game.  Wolf Creek Golf Club is settled in between the mountains in the northeast corner of Mesquite, Nevada in the United States.  The Par 72 layout, playing to 6,939 yards is carved beautifully out of the desert.  Visually, it's absolutely amazing and is sure to overwhelm you with its dazzling beauty and breath-taking views...yes, even in a video game!

With massive amounts of elevation, picking the right club is truly a challenge.  Combine that with hitting drives over and around mountains as well as approaches flirting with luminous running waterfalls and you have a golfing experience like no other.  Wolf Creek, opened in 2000 is an 18-hole roller coaster ride that will test every shot in your bag.

Lush green fairways wind through the rugged desert terrain and elevated tee boxes greet you with immaculate views of the course.  It will not only amaze your eye but it will also challenge your game and I'm guessing will become one of your favorite courses in the game.

So, there it is.  Five new amazing courses for you to play in Tiger Wood PGA TOUR® 09, from classic to exotic, they all look amazing with the new graphics engine. They're sure to provide you with a unique and challenging golf gaming experience.  Good luck and hit'em straight!

Travis Sailer

New Courses Part 1

Posted 07.24.2008

Greetings everyone, my name is Travis Sailer and I was one of the Producers who worked on Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 09.  Every year new courses and players are added to the game to give the users a fresh feel to go along with the new features.  This year was especially huge on the courses side, as Scott Malo touched on, with the revamping of all the old courses making them look better than ever.  On top of that we added five new courses this year that are sure to not only catch your eye but be a challenging and fun experience to play.  One of the things the production team does is pay attention to the forums and we do our best to listen to the users and adhere to their requests and suggestions when possible and one of the things we heard was the community's desire to play unique and exotic locations. I'll try my best to give you a brief description and history of each new course.

Going alphabetical, let's start with the prestigious Bay Hill Club & Lodge.  This course is located right in our backyard in sunny Orlando, Florida.  Bay Hill is one of the most popular courses on the PGA TOUR®, playing host to the Arnold Palmer Invitational every year.  It's also the King's course, where Arnold Palmer lives and plays.  Open only to Club members and guests staying at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, and now you, this breathtaking course sweeps across 270 acres along the shores of the Butler Chain of Lakes.

Originally, the Bay Hill Club & Lodge was the vision of a group of investors from Nashville, Tennessee, who in 1960 sought to develop a private retreat at which to enjoy their favorite pastime.  Thirteen months after the original conception, Bay Hill's championship 18 holes opened for play.  And after being invited to play an exhibition match in 1965 with Jack Nicklaus, Don Cherry and Dave Ragan, Arnold Palmer fell in love with the course.  And then in 1976, Palmer purchased the Bay Hill Club & Lodge and it has been the winter home of the Palmer family ever since and host to one of the most exciting and illustrious events on the PGA TOUR®.  We've set it up like the tournament does, playing to a Par 70 at 7,114 yards from the back tees.  It's sure to challenge your game and if you do have a good round going when you come to the 18^th be sure to find the green with your approach.  

The next course is one of the exotic tracks I mentioned earlier.  Gary Player Country Club can be found in Sun City, South Africa.  This course is almost thirty years old and yet it remains the course against which all others are measured and is consistently ranked as the best by leading golf publications in South Africa.  Pretty remarkable considering South Africa was voted the number one golfing destination in the world, a true reflection of the high standard of courses throughout the country.  Home to the Nedbank Golf Challenge for more than 20 years and the Women's World Cup of Golf, Gary Player Country Club is one of the most difficult and demanding courses in southern Africa.

The course uses kikuyu grass on the tees, fairways and semi roughs, like most South African golfing links.  It plays to 7,162 yards from the back tees and the Par 72 track leaves no room for complacency as the comparatively flat nature of the course can be misleading.  Making up for the lack of gradient are cunningly sited bunkers, pins hidden on kidney shaped greens and water hazards.  Visually, the course looks amazing and is a real joy to play.

Now we head to the Far East, China, home of Sheshan International Golf Club.  Sheshan International is most noted for hosting the European TOUR's opening event, the HSBC Champions of which Phil Mickelson is the current defending champion.  Pretty fresh, the course opened in October 2004 and was designed by Neil Haworth.  The natural forestation was integrated into the course design.  10,000 trees and natural foliage were preserved providing a very pleasing experience to the eye.  Two 1000 year old ginko trees grace the 4^th hole.  16 million cubic meters of dirt was moved to create elevation, bunkers and valleys. 

This majestic course plays to a Par 72 with a length of 7,195 yards.  And the natural beauty and rolling hills make it both a spectacular and intimidating golf course.  The most noticeable holes are the 16^th and 17^th, which play over a water filled, rare quarry, which is very much in play on the 16^th for those players opting to go for the green on the short par 4.

And then the risk/reward par 5, 18^th is sure to provide some drama with water sweeping along the entire right side of the hole and then surrounding the front and right of the green.  Try not to lose focus as you marvel at its beauty and see if you can stay dry.

Wow, that's a lot of information to digest; maybe we should stick to three courses for now.  Check back next week, I'll have more on the other two courses, hailing from London, England and Mesquite, Nevada.

- Travis Sailer