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cdj
02-09-2011, 08:21 PM
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12 designer Christian Brandt walks us through the all-new Caddie feature (http://www.ea.com/tiger-woods/blog/caddie-feature) coming to the game.

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Hello everyone... this is Christian Brandt and I’m back to share some details on the all new Caddie feature for Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters. This year you won’t be alone on the course. You’ll play alongside a caddie as you climb the leader boards to world #1. Your caddie will help you setup shots, read the lie of the ball, and read the green.

The caddie takes all the different elements of the course into consideration when suggesting different shot setups. He will suggest risky and safe shots. The risky or aggressive shots have the chance of landing in a hazard or clipping a tree branch if your swing is off. They appear as Red or Yellow in color. You need to be precise or you could end up in a tricky position for your next shot. If you’re at the tee on a dogleg par 4, the caddie might suggest cutting the corner around some trees or playing it safe down the middle before the bend in the fairway.

http://ll-100.ea.com/cem/u/f/GPO/easports.com/TigerWoods12/blog/Kim_DoglegSetup.jpg

(Pebble Beach, Hole #1)This is the main view you start at when setting up your shot. Press the Left Analog Stick “up” to “Zoom” out for a better look.

http://ll-100.ea.com/cem/u/f/GPO/easports.com/TigerWoods12/blog/Kim_RiskyShot.jpg

This displays a risky fairway shot on Tour Pro difficulty. It’s risky because the trees on the right are in play and the far bunker to the left is also within the shot aiming circle. Using some focus here would greatly minimize the risk.

http://ll-100.ea.com/cem/u/f/GPO/easports.com/TigerWoods12/blog/Kim_SafeShot.jpg

Here is the safe recommendation with no hazards in play. Notice you’re not using the driver and going with an iron off the tee. The irons have a smaller aiming circle and if you miss the 94% shot, you should still find the fairway if you go a little too far or come up short with your swing power. I would go with this one to have a clear approach to the green.

Below is an example of a safe approach shot. The player could go for the flagstick, but the bunkers are in play and it’s a difficult shot to pull off. So if the player chooses to go with the safe shot, they will have a much greater chance of sticking the ball on the green without worrying about the possibility of playing from the hazard. The putt might be long, but you’re going for birdie and not digging out of the sand.

http://ll-100.ea.com/cem/u/f/GPO/easports.com/TigerWoods12/blog/Green_SafeShot.jpg

(Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Hole #10)Safe recommendations appear as green in color.

http://ll-100.ea.com/cem/u/f/GPO/easports.com/TigerWoods12/blog/Green_RiskyShot.jpg

A little off on this shot will land you in one of those bunkers for sure.

The caddie will recommend different types of shots depending on the circumstance. Any of these types of shots could be a risky or safe play.

*Fairway

*Layup

*Green

*Flagstick

*Recovery

Here’s another example, it might be risky trying to bomb a 3 Wood on to the green with water along the side of the green on a Par 5. So the Caddie will also recommend a “Layup” shot to setup a nice and easy approach to the green. It’s all about reading the course and figuring out what’s best to play in this situation. If you are down by 1 going into the final hole, then playing aggressive is the way to go. Your caddie will be right there with you helping make those tough decisions.

http://ll-100.ea.com/cem/u/f/GPO/easports.com/TigerWoods12/blog/Caddie_Par5_Read.jpg

(TPC Sawgrass, Hole #11)

Alternatively, you can switch to your own “Custom” shot at any time and use some of the new advanced setup features. You can now choke down on the club to take distance off by clicking in the Right Analog Stick. You can also use the “Shot Shaper” by moving the Right Analog Stick to add high/low draw and fade. If you would like to setup your own shot every time, then just press the “Disable Caddie” button.

The Caddie will also help read the lie of the ball. When you’re in the “Main Caddie View,” press down on the Left Analog Stick to get a better view of the golf ball. This new view displays the lie percentage, if the ball is above or below your feet, and if the ball is on an upslope or downslope which all effect how the ball will come off the club face.

http://ll-100.ea.com/cem/u/f/GPO/easports.com/TigerWoods12/blog/Lie_2.jpg

http://ll-100.ea.com/cem/u/f/GPO/easports.com/TigerWoods12/blog/BrandtInTallGrass.jpg

I’m in some tall grass at Turnberry. This is an exclusive downloadable course when you pre-order Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters for PlayStation 3 at Gamestop.

This year we have a brand new gameplay element to help read the greens, the Caddie Recommended Putt Circle. Just like in real life when a Caddie recommends an area to aim at on the green. You will need to aim somewhere inside the circle to sink the putt. Don’t forget that you can still use the green grid too. The green grid displays the movement of the green. So if the small beads are moving to the right, then you know that you should aim left of the hole because the ball will roll to the right with the slope.

http://ll-100.ea.com/cem/u/f/GPO/easports.com/TigerWoods12/blog/CaddieRead_ShrinkCircle_3_V2.jpg

Listening to the Caddie audio when on the green will prove to be very useful. As the Caddie reads the green and places his recommendation circle, he will also comment on the break of the green. He might say “Aim a little past the hole and about 2 cups to the left” or “Alight, this one’s short of the hole and breaking 3 cups left to right.”

http://ll-100.ea.com/cem/u/f/GPO/easports.com/TigerWoods12/blog/CaddieRead.jpg

(TPC San Antonio, Hole #1)

http://ll-100.ea.com/cem/u/f/GPO/easports.com/TigerWoods12/blog/CaddieRead_Circle.jpg

Aim within the recommended putting circle.

http://ll-100.ea.com/cem/u/f/GPO/easports.com/TigerWoods12/blog/CaddieRead_ShrinkCircle_3.jpg

You can spend focus to shrink the Caddies putting recommendation circle. The circle size is based on your Course Mastery and Difficulty level. Some difficulty levels do not have the putting circle.

http://ll-100.ea.com/cem/u/f/GPO/easports.com/TigerWoods12/blog/Brandt_Putt.jpg

As you play each course, your caddie will start to learn more and give better recommendations. His putting suggestion circle will also start to get smaller as he levels up. Each course has a set of objectives known as Course Mastery. When you complete objectives, your Course Mastery will level up: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. The higher your Course Mastery on a course, the better your Caddie will be.

Example Objectives to reach Bronze: TPC Sawgrass

- 12 or less Hazards in a Round

- Birdie a Par 4

- 42 or Less Putts in a Round

You can access the Caddie Book anytime in game to view the objectives that need completed to level up the Caddie. The Caddie Book also contains course information, round settings, sponsor objectives, and round stats.

http://ll-100.ea.com/cem/u/f/GPO/easports.com/TigerWoods12/blog/CaddieBook_Sawgrass.jpg

This image shows silver objectives for TPC Sawgrass. Notice my bag tag in the upper right hand corner. It displays my current sponsor, EA SPORTS World Ranking, bronze course mastery, and various rewards I have unlocked along the bottom which can be changed at anytime.

Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for more feature blogs and answers to your questions posted on facebook. See you on the links soon, March 29th!

Christian Brandt