#the result of my obsession with how teams select captains

[eddygould]

Fallout Hawaii

This idea came into my head 2 years ago (in 2015, with the release of Fallout 4), and now I have returned to it. I have chosen the Fallout: New Vegas endings and factions scheme, because Fallout 4 was too casual in this plan, not having the freedom of choice at all. However, I left family vicissitudes as the main concept of the plot, according to the canons of Bethesda.

THE PLOT:

Events of the game occur in 2242 (during the events of Fallout 2), on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Thomas, the father of the player, is the Overseer of the Vault 4 and the Head Consul of the Aloha State, a sovereign self-proclaimed republic. One of his sons, Vincent (and also the brother of the player) is a brilliant scientist and engineer who has done a lot for the Vault. One day, Vincent leaves the Vault and mysteriously disappears along with a team of other researchers. Father sends his second son (or a daughter), the player (also called the Arbiter), to find him. When the player goes to the surface for the first time, they are free to go anywhere and do whatever they want, including joining one of the organizations fighting for control over the island. In fact, the player’s brother was kidnapped by the Enclave, rather its special department, sent to an expedition to Hawaiian Islands. Led by a liberal Commander Joshua Harrelson, the Enclave secretly studies the island of Oahu and decides to seize it for its own purposes. To do this, they kidnap Vincent and recruit him, but the faction also becomes interested in the player when the protagonist meets them for the first time. Meanwhile, the Chosen One from F2 destroys the Enclave Oil Rig, and the Hawaiian Enclave becomes a fully independent organization. After their meeting, the player can choose any faction for further walkthrough and ending. Depending on the player’s choice, life on the island will be changed forever.

FACTIONS:

ALOHA STATE (New Aloha City and Vault 4): the inhabitants of the Vault 4 who came to the surface and founded New Aloha City. At the beginning of the game, they are going to cover the whole island, uniting all the tribes under the auspices of the state, taxing them and eliminate competitors. The faction is governed by Thomas who combines the post of the Vault Overseer and the Head Consul of the state, which is not very popular with some residents of the city. Many people consider this a remnant of the past and plan to elect their own president.

ORDER OF THE SHINE (Makakilo Base): the original residents of a secret military bunker with its own experimental program. After spending many years in isolation and raising a conservative society based on worshiping firearms, these people have created an aggressive organization, wanting to take control of the island. In their opinion, goal of the faction is a revival of an old American society. Ben Gardner aka Captain Shrapnel is their cruel leader.

SUNCHILDREN (Oma-Oma Village): a group of dwellers from the Vault 4, led by Linda, the player’s mother. After her disappointment in Thomas and people in general, they left the Vault and founded their own village, raising a "green" society with veneration of biotechnologies and negation of nuclear energy. Linda and her allies are about to finish their bioreactor and remove other organizations from the island. Despite seeming primitive, organization is equipped with powerful biological weapons and has achieved a great success in the field of selection.

CRIMSON PENNANT (Dead Dragon): the Chinese war prisoners and communists who were mutated into Ghouls and Supermutants. Their goal is to create a toxic bomb with special virus that can mutate all the people into superghouls, a species of supermutants, possessing absolute immunity to radiation, incredible strength, and increased mental abilities, the obedient zombies with communist views. Together they plan to seize the island and build communism, excluding racial prejudice. Their leader and head ideologist is Xun Chang, a Chinese Ghoul who placed himself in the mechanical shell of a Sentry Bot.

THE ENCLAVE (Golf Land and The Hook): a branch of the main organization that was sent to the expedition to Hawaiian Islands. The main base of the branch is located on the big island of Hawaii. It is ruled by a liberal Commander Joshua Harrelson who is highly concerned in factions’ technologies and goals. Joshua did not share the views of the main organization and believed that "irradiated" people and even some mutants are necessary for the revival of civilization. After the destruction of the Oil Rig, he declares himself as the new leader of the Enclave and takes the situation into his own hands.

MAIN LOCATIONS:

Locations, serving as bases of main factions.

VAULT 4 and NEW ALOHA CITY. It was created in 2060s as a part of the Vault project. The main purpose of the experiment was propaganda and its impact on people and society. Vault 4 was connected by an underground tunnel with the Vault A. One day, a group of the soldiers had intervened in peaceful life of the Vault and killed all dissents, capturing the main computer. They wanted to arrange their own regime based on ethnic hate, cult of weapons, and slavery. However, some people quickly gathered a secret revolutionary community and uncovered the conspiracy. They took situation in their hands and saved the Vault, setting up a propaganda program of a "bright American future" and collapsing the tunnel. Eventually, after many years, when the doors of the Vault have been opened, people came on the surface and grew a new American society, founding New Aloha City.

DEAD DRAGON. A concentration camp for the Chinese and communists. It was built in 2068, after the massive Chinese attack on Hawaii in 2067. Dead Dragon is located in the north-west of the island, in the mountains. Right after the bombs fell, all prisoners and scientists have become ghouls and supermutants. A Chinese general Xun Chang took the situation under his control, gathered massive group of the Chinese, and devastated all the Americans in the camp. He managed to assemble a new organization and inspire the mutants with the ideas of communism. That is how the Crimson Pennant was founded.

OMA-OMA VILLAGE. A settlement founded by Linda and other dwellers of the Vault 4 when they did not want to put up with the technologies of the current world.

MAKAKILO BASE aka the VAULT A. Technically, it is a Vault, though it does not belong to the main experimental program. It was built by Vault-Tec Corporation and connected by a tunnel with the Vault 4, although the work was supervised by military, which caused a lot of controversy in its time. The Vault was created especially for soldiers, and the experiment involved a constant army lifestyle with strict rules and punishments. This project was led by a couple of generals who later invaded the Vault 4, but were defeated and nearly unleashed a full-scale war in the bunker. After this incident, rules became even stricter, and the life of ordinary soldiers began to resemble hell. Eventually, after many years, all the inhabitants have turned into cruel maniacs obsessed with war and weapons aesthetics, brought up on the conservative army foundations.

GOLF LAND. This once working golf course hides the secret base of the Enclave on Oahu.

THE HOOK. Main base of the Enclave branch that is located on the big island of Hawaii.

QUEST LOCATIONS:

Other locations, playing a role in each faction’s story quest.

BLOT CITY. Formerly called Honolulu, but now it is a big city-junkyard that lies in ruins and is under control of several Raider bands: Tiki Heads, Wild Surfers, and Nuka-Sharks, each of which is constantly at war with each other because of territories and supplies. It is also a home for many Hawaiian ghouls.

PEARL HARBOR. A former port and a military base that was destroyed by a direct hit of an atomic missile. A massive half-crater and a radioactive bay are the only things that remained from this place.

FALCON BASE. One of many military bases in the past and a partially flooded bunker in the present. The base is controlled by an AI that puts experiments on ghouls, forcing them to play its "game". There are still many military robots on the lower levels, waiting for their activation.

LUA-PELE. A small village, the home of a closed society named Oiaio (referred as the Cult of Volcano by other islanders). They worship the volcano and consider the island as the center of the universe. The Cult's task is to awake the Volcano God that someday will save the Cult by giving them a new form of existence.

ATOM EDEN. One of the oldest attraction parks, founded in the 20th century by General Atomics International as a big advertising campaign of nuclear energetics. The park had been rebuilt and updated many times until the Great War. In fact, it is a secret military base and a bomb storage. To this day, there is an unused nuclear warhead in the warehouse under the park.

LEONARDO NUCLEAR POWER PLANT. The headquarters of General Atomics International on Oahu, served as the main source of energy that fed the Atom Eden and other enterprises. However, the bombs turned it into a radioactive waste, killing all life around.

DLC IDEAS:

THE ZOOKEEPER — The player discovers a secret base specialized in the experiments on animals after a mutated Deathclaw escapes from a cave nearby. Protagonist will get acquainted with the numerous results of experiments and other abominations created for military purposes. After completing the main quest and solving the problem of a highly intelligent Deathclaw-chameleon who wanted to revive the base, the player will be able to tame animals and modify them, donning special armor and weapons, even installing cybernetic elements to subordinate the unique and dangerous fauna of Oahu.

THE PEARL OF HAWAII — The faction will ask the player to create a radiation-resistant submarine for an expedition to the radioactive bay of Pearl Harbor. The protagonist will be sent into the cloister of the strongest underwater mutants, as well as to the graveyard of old technologies in order to uncover all the secrets of one of the most important military bases of pre-war America.

TERRA DISTANTE — The player's faction makes an expedition to one of the distant Hawaiian islands, practically unaffected by the Great War. The player will meet the brutal island fauna and will be involved in the conflict between two tribes, which needs to be resolved. Will the hero colonize the island, sacrificing the interests of the aborigines, or leave them alone?

MAIN QUEST AND ENDINGS:

The chain of the main quest is conditionally divided into acts, just like in New Vegas.

Act 1: The search for Vincent — The player finds their brother and learns about the Enclave.

Act 2: points 1,2 — The player performs the first chain of factional quests related to the neutralization of competitors.

Act 3: point 3 — The player performs the essential tasks, strengthening the influence of their faction on the island.

Act 4: points 4,5 — The player performs the second chain of factional quests and completes the game.

ESSENTIAL TASKS THAT ARE NOT DEPENDENT ON FACTION AKA ACT 3:

Falcon Base Expedition (Activate the army of robots / Destroy the base). In case of activation, robots will help player's faction in further quests. If the player plays for Sunchildren, robots must be destroyed.

Fate of Volcano Cult (Destroy / Recruit / Infect [Crimson Pennant]).

Seizure of Blot City and the fate of the Raiders (Force to leave / Subordinate / Destroy / Infect [Crimson Pennant]). In case of subordination / infestation, raiders will help Player's faction in further quests, and give various supplies.

Atom Eden (Seize the park and find a warhead). The last essential quest that launches the 4th act.

ALOHA STATE:

Sunchildren. Put an atomic accelerator on the reactor that will irradiate the settlement and thereby kill Linda. Eliminate unwanted inhabitants and agents to improve Thomas' reputation.

Crimson Pennant. Destroy the base and stop the infection.

Act 3.

The Order. Repulse an attack, Make the way to the base and seize the secret developments of Power Armor.

Enclave. Save / Kill Thomas, Kill / Persuade Vincent to help, Blow up the bomb, Escape from the base. Vincent can help the player to blow up the bomb, but the player must kill their father before their eyes. In the end, Vincent will launch the process of self-destruction and give the protagonist the keys of the vertibird site. Joshua will appear and kill Vincent, giving an order to shoot at the protagonist. The player can also kill their brother, free Thomas, and blow up the bomb themselves, breaking through the crowds of Enclave soldiers or acting secretly.

★ Aloha State achieves a dominant position on the island, uniting all tribes and creating a fully independent state.

Thomas' tyranny continues, and the player will become its successor after the death of the father. However, the future of all the Hawaiian islands depends only on the protagonist and their past relationship with Thomas.

The Player becomes the president of Aloha State, and in the future they will try to wash the disgrace of their father.

SUNCHILDREN:

Crimson Pennant. Destroy the base and stop the infection.

Aloha State. Secretly kill Thomas, replacing him with a special agent.

Act 3.

The Order. Repulse an attack, Make the way to the base, and destroy the secret developments of Power Armor.

The Enclave. Save / Kill Linda, Kill / Persuade Vincent to help, Blow up the bomb, Escape from the base. Under the mother’s influence, the player can lure their brother to their side (or kill him). However, if the player kills Linda, he will not be able to recruit Vincent.

★ The island is thriving. People have completely got rid of nuclear energy and turned Oahu into a majestic green place. Harmony with the nature has increased life expectancy and also reduced the levels of violence.

After Linda’s death, the player will become a new ruler of the island and soon will colonize all the Hawaiian islands.

After Linda’s death, the player and Vincent will begin to struggle for power, and this conflict will divide the island into two independent states, which will fall over each other for many years.

Killing their own mother and taking the reins in their hands, the protagonist through trial and error will achieve prosperity on Oahu. Anyway, the player is unlikely to see a colonization of the Hawaiian islands, and the future will no longer depend on them.

THE ORDER:

Sunchildren. Kill Linda by blowing up the reactor.

Crimson Pennant. Destroy the base and stop the infection.

Act 3.

Aloha State. Kill Thomas and seize the Vault, setting a new order there.

The Enclave. Save / Kill Captain Shrapnel, Kill Vincent, Blow up the bomb, Escape from the base. If the player saves the Captain, he will call for reinforcements in order to distract the Enclave soldiers, blow up the bomb and escape with the player. Otherwise, the player will have to do everything by themselves.

★ All the forces of the island will be transferred to the possession of one of the most powerful military organizations that will obviously be interested in new lands and exploration of the mainland. The Order will do everything possible to revive a great American society.

The player becomes one of the highest generals, keeping an eye on their home.

Straightening out with the Captain Shrapnel, the protagonist themselves becomes a cruel ruler. Obeying a whole island, the player will stop at nothing in order to grab more land and resources in the future.

CRIMSON PENNANT:

Sunchildren. Kill Linda, Test the experimental serum, turning everyone into Ghouls.

Aloha State. Kill Thomas, Infect all the residents.

Act 3.

The Order. Repulse an attack, Make the way to the base and destroy the secret developments of Power Armor.

The Enclave. Save Chang, Load his mind into the supercomputer of the base and infect everyone. The player must eliminate Vincent and load Chang's consciousness into the main computer. The virus from the bomb will infect everyone, including the player. Accelerated growth will kill the Enclave soldiers in Power Armor, and Chang will be able to control the whole base.

★ After its victory and the proclamation of communism, Crimson Pennant will sow the regime on all the Hawaiian islands, and then on North America, and even Asia.

Influence of the faction will grow, as the player becomes the commander of the first mass attack on the California coast.

THE ENCLAVE:

Sunchildren. Kill Linda by blowing up the reactor.

Aloha State. Secretly kill Thomas, replacing him with a special agent.

Act 3.

Crimson Pennant. Destroy the base and stop the infection.

The Order. Repulse a massive attack, Make the way to the base, and destroy the secret developments of Power Armor. The Enclave breaks through with the battle and completely destroys the Order, successfully capturing the island. However, after the victory, Joshua Harrelson demonstratively kills Vincent because he considers him useless, compared to the player. The protagonist can kill Joshua or leave him alive.

★ The remains of the Enclave become one of the most powerful organizations in the post-nuclear world and later will grow into a huge island state, as well as trying to reborn the human civilization.

The player becomes an Enclave general. Nevertheless, over the years the organization's policy will become more rigid, and Joshua Harrelson gradually will abandon his liberal views, turning the Enclave into a totalitarian faction.

Having avenged their brother and ready to act, the player takes the reins of government into their own hands. With all the might they will try to restore the human civilization for good.

ENDING STRUCTURE:

Fate of the player and their family.

The faction ending, fates of other factions and the island at all.

Fates of the Falcon Base, Oiaio, Blot City, Raiders, and others.

Minor details: the fates of the companions and various settlements.

Whatever the ending is and whatever the player’s choice was, only one thing is clear: War never changes.

#fallout #fallout hawaii #game ideas

[vsplusonline]

This is how it was: A peep into history for the Kohli generation

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/this-is-how-it-was-a-peep-into-history-for-the-kohli-generation/

This is how it was: A peep into history for the Kohli generation

If you are above a certain age and a fan of Indian cricket, you are probably familiar with the feeling. Where hope and despair are nicely mixed, where intense faith in one or two players is matched by the feeling that everything is about to go wrong.

Also read: It is just lack of form, Sehwag on Kohli’s failures

My mother exhibits this pessimism every time. She has been following the fortunes of the Indian team since the mid-1960s at least. I remember her keeping scores in a notebook, or if that couldn’t be immediately found, on the margins of the daily newspaper while listening to the radio commentary.

Those were the days when a draw was cause for celebration, and an individual century or a five-wicket haul restored some national pride. We didn’t expect to win anything, and when the great spinners, or later, Sunil Gavaskar, were praised in England or Australia we took it personally.

Those were the days when the middle order was shaky. The spinners prayed, “Give us 250 runs to bowl at,” but the batsmen often struggled.

Interesting read: ICC Test ranking: India retains top spot, Kohli remains second in batsmen’s list

Those were the days of unsettled opening batsmanship (till Gavaskar came along), unreliable middle orders and a dearth of bowlers who could take wickets abroad. Those were the days when the opponents’ lower order batsmen often held up the Indian bowling. Wes Hall, Tom Veivers, John Snow, Peter Lever, Geoff Miller, Michael Holding, all bowlers, all got half-centuries while Tony Mann, who had batted at number eight in the first innings came in as night watchman for Australia in the second and made 105.

The only certainty about India’s performance was its uncertainty. I realize now it must have been traumatic. My mother, an otherwise optimistic woman with a cheery worldview, continues to be less than sanguine about the cricket team. Forget the World Cup triumphs, forget the victories abroad, forget the fact that India are the No. 1 team in the world. Ignore the fact that they have done it often, but my mother still believes India will struggle to make 150 to win, or claim twenty wickets.

The generations that followed believe the reverse — that no mountain is too high to climb, no match lost on the first day itself.

Generations overlap

And then comes a tour of New Zealand, and the two generations overlap. The old fears return. Suddenly it feels as if nothing has changed.

Also read: Virat Kohli indicates ‘mini transition’ of pace unit in near future

India struggled with the opening batting, found a hole in the middle order, allowed the lower order to add crucial runs, and didn’t look like the No. 1 team they are. It has been confusing for those who love to apportion blame, for there has been no silver lining. No “take aways” as defeated captains are fond of saying at the end of a series.

Amazingly, the result has been received with great equanimity by a nation obsessed by victories on the cricket field. This may be a sign that Test cricket is losing its sheen. Perhaps the events on the streets of Delhi and elsewhere have put sport and fandom in perspective. The call for heads and banning of players from commercial activities or raising the standards of domestic cricket, which followed defeats in England and Australia at the start of the decade have not been articulated.

To beat New Zealand in New Zealand is as difficult as it is to beat India in India. India have won five matches out of 25 in New Zealand (three of them in the first series there half a century ago), while New Zealand have won just two in India (34 matches). Till Glenn Turner and especially Richard Hadlee appeared, the New Zealanders were great favourites in India because they were seen as the one team India were expected to beat. That was then, this series loss is now.

Strange series

This was a strange series from India’s point of view. Their finest batsman and best bowler were both out of form, and here was evidence — if it were needed — that Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah made up half the team. Their in-form batsman, K L Rahul was not picked for the Tests which wasn’t smart. Picking the batsman in form is hardly rocket science, even if the choice might be an admission of an earlier error.

Did India pick the right men for the final Test which they had to win? Four bowlers meant they were one short. In hindsight — and despite the poor batting — they could have played a fast bowler in place of a batsman. The BCCI’s tweet before the Test: “Spot the pitch” suggested a green top, and India, in reflex action, played the extra batsman.

Safety first is not a good tactic when there’s a match to be won, although understandable in the old India where the aim was to reduce the margin of defeat.

Skipper Kane Williamson was generous, saying the series was closer than the defeats suggested. My mother is familiar with such generosity. It was what opposition captains said in the days when India struggled to put their stamp on the world game.

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#Sports

[ourartzoneblog-blog]

Marine Hot Water Heaters Blog Dept: Catch More Fish By Making Less Noise

Being Noisy Spooks the Fish

Raritan Engineering Company your marine hot water heaters distributors would like to share with you these topics we thought would be of interest to you this month regarding how ot catch more fish by making less noise.

Your marine hot water heaters experts talk about how stealthy fishing is successful fishing. Here are 10 tips for better results.

Sound kills the bite, that is. Most anglers know that loud noises and vibrations can scare the fish and turn off the action as quickly as flipping a light switch. .

1. TALK IT UP

Before you leave the dock, have a short conversation with your crew about watching the volume level. While you, the captain of the boat, may be aware of how slamming a hatch will scare the snook, the people you invited aboard may be a lot less familiar with the finer points of fishing. 

2. STOP SHIFTING

While a modern four-stroke outboard makes virtually no noise at idle, shifting it (or any engine) into gear creates a metal-on-metal “thunk” that can be heard above and below he water. And that abrupt noise is more than enough to spook fish. 

3. SLOW DOWN

All forms of propeller-driven propulsion create prop noise underwater, including electric motors. The level of that noise is directly related to the speed of the propeller.

Check our our marine water heaters selection here at Raritan Engineering and see how we always take care of your marine sanitation supply needs.

So a potent electric trolling motor running at full throttle may actually be creating more noise than some gas-powered outboards running at idle.

4. GET ELECTRIC

Many boats leak stray electrical current into the water, and some species are sensitive to electrical charges. Whether a charge emitted by a boat attracts or repels fish is anyone's guess, so making sure the boat doesn't leak electricity is a good idea. Attach a voltmeter to the negative terminal of the battery, with the other lead attached to a bare wire that's five or six feet down into the water, to give it a test. 

5. FAB ABOUT FOAM

Another sort of foam that can deliver a boost of stealth is a foam pool noodle. This fix is specific to boats with hard chines, which may create a lot of chine slap as they drift. You can eliminate it by taking a foam pool noodle up to the bow and sliding it under the chine. 

6. FAB FOAM, TAKE II

One way to lower the volume level of a boat is by adding a layer of cushioning foam to the deck. SeaDek, Marine Mat, Ocean Grip and other companies make closed-cell EVA foam sheets and strips that can be used to cover that fiberglass or aluminum, shushing all kinds of noise-making accidents, such as dropped weights, stomped feet and dragged coolers.

7. ALLURING, OR ALERTING?

Some lures that are otherwise attractive can actually spook fish, particularly in very still, calm water. Lures with loud rattles, for example, can do more harm than good when the water's surface is mirror-still. Same goes for poppers and chuggers.

So don't forget these great tips on how to catch more fish by making less noise. 1) Before you leave the dock, have a short conversation with your crew about watching the volume level;  2) one way to lower the volume level of a boat is by adding a layer of cushioning foam to the deck;  and 3) avoid using loud lures.

First woman wins Clipper round-the-world yacht race

Australian Wendy Tuck has become the first female skipper to win the Clipper round-the-world yacht race.

British skipper Nikki Henderson, 25, came second with her team in the 40,000-mile race.

Professional sailors captain teams of amateurs. Nearly half of the crews, who come from 41 countries, had no previous sailing experience before signing up.

Race co-founder Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who was the first person to sail solo nonstop around the world, said: “If you realise that more people have climbed Mount Everest than have sailed around the world, you realise just what these people have done.

“There has never been a round-the-world sailing race where the leading skippers are women,” he added.

“To have men and women competing together in sport on a level playing field is very special.”

He said the success of Tuck and Henderson “cannot be overestimated”.

Henderson said: “We didn't get the win but I am so proud of how my team dug deep and kept fighting right until the end.”

Nottinghamshire firefighter Rebecca Sims, who sailed in Henderson's team during one leg of the race, said: “To have a female one-two is probably the best outcome, really, so it's fantastic for women in sport.

Sports Minister Tracey Crouch said she had been “watching it quite obsessively”, especially as Henderson is the daughter of her Conservative colleague, Guildford MP Anne Milton.

“It is really nice to be here at the end and to celebrate some remarkable achievements for two amazing female skippers.”

Order your marine water heater here at Raritan Engineering, your #1 expert in marine sanitation supplies.

via Don't Spook the Fish

via First woman wins Clipper round-the-world yacht race

[junker-town]

Tiger Woods is now 'Golf Saban' and other things we learned at the USA's Presidents Cup win

The 2017 Presidents Cup was another uncompetitive bore but it wasn't completely uninteresting. Some observations beyond just the golf shots and match results.

You've already digested a full meal of content on how uncompetitive the 2017 Presidents Cup was and how this American team was one of the best ever and just getting started on what could be a decade of dominance. While the competition was a bore, watching the U.S. team light it up, really from the top of the roster to the bottom, was impressive and worth watching.

We don't need to re-hash all the specifics of a lopsided four-day match play event, but here are some notes beyond the actual golf shots and matches that I gathered from a few days at Liberty National.

These matches feel different with Tiger roaming

Watching Tiger was the most enjoyable and entertaining part of the Presidents Cup. If I'm being honest, I probably never appropriately appreciated watching Tiger play when we had him at his peak. I was younger, dumber, and could not put things in context all that well. Now with him mostly out of public view in the sport, the rare occasions where he does pop up seem so special and carry a certain weight. And that includes when he never swings a damn club.

In all contexts, it was a entertaining to watch him and listen to him and just see him.

It's fun to see all our shitty little jokes on the fantasies of Tiger leading SEAL missions in some remote corner of the globe looking a little closer to reality with him marching the course wired up with comms line earpieces and carrying a TrackMan briefcase that could be some sort of mobile command unit. This will never not be funny or get old.

It's cool to see him become this sherpa guide to what is clearly a superpower of a 20-something group of players coming up in these events. Tiger has likely the greatest golf brain in the history of the game, and has to feel less threatened leaking some of that brilliance to players who can't use it against him in his prime. On Saturday, I called him Golf Saban: he's got the best 'croots, puts in an obsessive attention to every single detail, has no real time for all the media and promotional nonsense that comes with these exhibitions, and is the driving captaincy force behind what is now two straight methodical blowouts (and even mixed it up with an official after what he thought was a bad call). We already knew "process" was one of his go-to words and from all accounts, the way he prepared the team and himself as a captain for last year's Ryder Cup was nonpareil. The way he threw himself into the role was a motivating and contributing factor to the team's success at Hazeltine, and that appeared to be the case again this year. Process and preparation.

He seems to love it too -- US captain Steve Stricker hinted that Tiger was getting as much out of it as the team, telling the New York Times, "This is a two-way street." Tiger having a real purpose in this game, both for him and us, is something we need for the next 20, 30, or 40 years.

It's moving to see him celebrate with colleagues and competitors, so many of whom he was often trying to destroy on the golf course. We're thinking mostly of Phil Mickelson here, with whom Tiger had a ... we'll use ... contentious relationship. Tiger did not have a particularly strong desire to be friends with anyone on Tour, but especially someone hailed as a potential all-time great. Phil played a role in the two being frosty at times too. Now we're in the sunset of both careers, and the two seem legitimately happy to be paired up as the brain trust reformatting how American team golf is organized and outfitted for the next decade or two. I don't care if this is soft as hell, but it's moving giving all the history and scar tissue we have with these guys and they have with themselves.

I'll take "Things I never thought we'd see" for $500, Alex. #PresidentsCup http://pic.twitter.com/dcJiRs9xrZ

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) October 1, 2017

Tiger Woods fist pump for Phil Mickelson at President’s Cup http://pic.twitter.com/DZvpTfXHLa

— Tiger Woods Fans (@TigerQuestfor19) September 29, 2017

A business convention

The location, a short ferry ride from Wall Street, may have had something to do with it. But walking around Liberty National was an entirely different experience from the Ryder Cup, and really any major championship or golf tournament I've been to.

This felt like more like a convention for "important looking" people to entertain each other or network about "important" things. The amount of finely pressed slacks and button-down shirts exceeded anything I've seen at any other golf tournament. The point felt more like an arena for corporate schmoozing and the attendant golf event was simply an outlet to congregate and for it to happen at this place.

With that kind of vibe permeating the grounds, it's hard to hype the crowds as having some sort of impact in a way we might thought when it was announced this was coming to New York. That kind of scene may be reserved for Bethpage and the 2024 Ryder Cup. The first tee scene was fun, but the crowds tapered off throughout the course. It may have just been the difficulty of navigating this particular venue. But at the Ryder Cup, every match is five to 10 deep along the ropes. Here, that happened maybe around just one or two marquee matches, and sometimes not even at those bigger matches.

When Justin Thomas holed out from the bunker at the 14th on Friday afternoon, he exhorted the crowd to get into it and the response felt, to be honest, subdued. The 14th hole this week, which is the 18th during normal club play, was supposed to be the highlight hole, an arena running up into the clubhouse with captivating views. But the hospitality suites lining the hole and surrounding the green just muted the atmosphere a bit and the response to Thomas' hole-out was a bit flat.

Have. A. Day. @JustinThomas34 from the sand to the bottom of the cup #PresidentsCup http://pic.twitter.com/YjdxMgNU9O

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) September 29, 2017

There were crescendoes here and there, but that flatness existed across the course in my observation.

The Ryder Cup certainly has a corporate schmoozing element to it too, with brand partners and hospitality on the course. But it also has the massive livewire crowds and grandstands enveloping each match. The Prez cup was not that and this is, of course, fine. The purpose of the Presidents Cup can be more business-centered, and it doesn't have to be a same as the Ryder Cup. Just don't oblige the hype about the "rowdy NYC crowds" making this unlike any scene in golf. Maybe that changes in Australia in 2019 or Charlotte in 2021.

Epcot National

Again, critiquing or praising the venue of Liberty National needs to be done with an understanding of this event's purpose. The cup is a largely made-for-TV exhibition and this course was great for TV. You saw the hundreds of pictures and videos all week already, but I really cannot overstate how stunning the vista is from Liberty National.

As a course, it felt inauthentic. One colleague compared it to Disney World and there was definitely an amusement park, albeit an extremely high-class one, feel to it. This was a dump that they filled up, tarped over, and built an emerald golf course, man-made lakes, and a glistening glass clubhouse on top of for $250 million, among the most expensive courses ever built. There are towering walls of concrete, a din of sirens, shipping and truck fumes, and then there's a lush green shade of a perfectly manicured golf course. Nothing about this feels like it was cut and shaped out of the natural land provided and that's how you end up with the inauthentic feel.

It worked just fine for match play, although I'd argue there's way too much water on the course. Red paint hazard lines are running everywhere and indeed, there were stretches were it felt like every other highlight on the broadcast was of a world-class player dumping one in the drink. There were some complaints about the routing leaving us with two par-3s in the final three holes, but I thought that added a funky element I didn't mind.

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

The views of the Statue of Liberty and downtown Manhattan cannot be oversold.

Again, this comes back to the purpose of this thing — it's not the Walker Cup at a classic LACC. It's big business and TV entertainment. The views were inspiring and stunning and I think the course worked fine for these purposes.

Irreconcilable differences?

The tones of the winning and losing press conferences at these team events are always so fascinating to watch. Press conferences usually don't matter in golf, but they're entertaining and enlightening at these match play contests. Aside from the usual lighthearted partying in the USA winner's press conference (gasp, even Jordan Spieth cursed!), I thought the most notable aspect was the contrast in captain's comments on just where this event may be going.

First came Ernie Els, a veteran of these events, assistant captain this year, and rumored to be the next head captain of the International team in 2019 at Royal Melbourne. On multiple occasions, Els used the phrase "going back to the drawing board" with the PGA Tour. It's clear the International side does not feel like the current arrangement, in which the PGA Tour owns and operates the entire event, is setting up most equitably for them. "We just want to feel that we are being treated fairly and that we get something going our way a little bit," Els said.

We heard repeated refrains about how the Internationals feel they're at a disadvantage not getting to play every year, or less often, as the American team. They also want more control from the PGA Tour, and Els cited scheduling, golf course setup, and team selection process as areas where that could be taken.

The Big Easy also specifically cited "less matches and less points" as something that would be beneficial to the International side — the thinking goes that less points and less matches mitigates the International side's lack of depth compared to the USA.

This is where the contrast between captain's press conferences seemed most stark. The usually understated and diplomatic Stricker was pretty direct when asked if there should be format changes or points reduced.

No, we had the format change for South Korea, and I don't know how many points that we needed to reduce, but I think it's fair. I mean, we weren't really too happy with the reduction of points to start with. We wanted an event that kind of allowed all our players to go out there and play.

So yeah, I don't see anything changing.

Stricker added that they all voted against the reduction in Korea, "and the points system was still changed — ultimately, it doesn't seem like it would be up to us."

So it would appear that after this last blowout, we're headed for a showdown over the rules and format. It again puts the entire viability of the competition on trial, how it's run, and who runs it.

The Fanatics

It's great to have an International voice and superfan group involved in this thing, from Columbus to Korea to NYC. But I have serious questions about who is backing and underwriting this operation. Are you telling me this group spends thousands of dollars to travel the globe every two years to watch their team get its ass kicked? It seems like the people investigating George Soros paid protesters should spend their time digging into the Fanatics' operation.

I think they're a nice element to the competition and creative with their chants, but I need to know more of the why and how behind it.

Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

A subsection of The Fanatics cohort watches their beloved International team at the Presidents Cup in Jersey.

Phil's brutal honesty

Standing on the green immediately following another Sunday singles match win, Phil Mickelson let loose this howitzer of a quote.

We have a dynamic here that is different than I've seen, and that is these young guys are not only great players, fiercely competitive, but they have a quality that's taken me decades to acquire, and that is they are genuinely happy for each other's success.

Piggybacking for the Phil-Tiger observations from above, I think that sheds light on why the USA struggled for so many years in the Ryder Cup and why they seem set up so well for the future now.

Creating a new identity

The blowout reignited all the takes about how the Presidents Cup is a useless competition and I've certainly hit some of the issues with it in the notes above. Maybe being on the ground up close for a couple days imbued me with some empathy I didn't know I had, but the PGA Tour does bust its ass at this thing and is hustling to make it as strong as possible (there are, of course, motivating economic interests too!).

I think it would be stupid to do away with it or completely overhaul it. Team golf is the best — this is an incontrovertible fact. Make some tweaks, give more power to a home team, figure out a temporary way to make it more competitive. The lack of International depth is always cited as the reason why it's not competitive, but their best players have not played well either at many of these, including this year with Hideki Matsuyama and Jason Day. This core group of USA 20-somethings looks dominant, but there will be a swing when the Internationals have a run.

The PGA Tour carving out an identity that's more than "not the one that's as good as the Ryder Cup" may be the biggest Prez Cup task. The Tour has done this really well with The Players, an event that now has the self-confidence beyond trying to force an identity as the "fifth major" into something that occupies its own totally unique space in the game. Maybe it means some format tweaks, or schedule tweaks, or qualification tweaks. But even after this past blowout, I'm hopeful there is a future for the Presidents Cup.