125 replies to this topic

[IanK]

Looking at these pics and although the u5 one is better in many ways, i cant help but remember how much i liked the trees in u4 better sometimes than the speedtree versions. Another course it really shows on for me is crystal pines. I think i prefered the u4 version. Dont get me wrong i really like it now but the trees in u4 sometimes looked more defined and less clumpy/blotchy. Just my opinion guys but does anyone else see what im saying?.
really looking forward to this lovely course anyways. Great work PP.

I agree with you Jimmy. I prefer the look of some of the Unity 4 trees too.

[scrambler]

I have no problem with the MS and I play it about as well as 3c. With the PS you get a feeling of power in the down swing not just how far the back swing is. It is also easier to shape shots. The MS has no feedback during the swing and will probably be worse when connected with the avatar.

[M Rose]

Medinah looks great. Not a course I am particularly fond of IRL, but it's a pretty spot on looking rendition.

 

Re: the North American centric debate....  If I get a chance to use Course Forge, one of the things I plan on doing is a Melbourne sandbelt course, as I think that is a really unique style to the world. I've spent some time there and played a couple of them, and it's a look and a feel different from anything else.

[Dazmaniac]

So... I haven't played Links since the days of it only having a 3C interface.  How is the PS different from PG's motion swing?

 

Links 2003 RTS.

Back and forth mouse movement to play out the swing (like TW's TruSwing). The faster the forward swing the more club-head speed. Animation moved in sync with the swing, though there was no limit like PG in how long the swing could take. Some players like to precisely set the backswing with RTS before making the downswing. IIRC, the clubface always remained square but you could achieve mishits and shots off the heel and toe.

 

Links 2003 Powerstroke.

A hybrid of the click and RTS swings, using a horizontal axis and horizontal swingmeter. The swing was similar to PG's horizontal swing (again there was no tempo limitation with PS) but the added challenge of PS was that as the swing was made to strike the ball, there was the added requirement of also applying a click at the snap line. This made pulling off the straight shots quite challenge at the higher skill levels.

 

[mebby]

Links 2003 RTS.

Back and forth mouse movement to play out the swing (like TW's TruSwing). The faster the forward swing the more club-head speed. Animation moved in sync with the swing, though there was no limit like PG in how long the swing could take. Some players like to precisely set the backswing with RTS before making the downswing. IIRC, the clubface always remained square but you could achieve mishits and shots off the heel and toe.

 

Links 2003 Powerstroke.

A hybrid of the click and RTS swings, using a horizontal axis and horizontal swingmeter. The swing was similar to PG's horizontal swing (again there was no tempo limitation with PS) but the added challenge of PS was that as the swing was made to strike the ball, there was the added requirement of also applying a click at the snap line. This made pulling off the straight shots quite challenge at the higher skill levels.

 

Thanks for the explanation - very easy to follow.

 

The reason I like PG's MS so much is that no two shots ever feel the same.

[AlanBernardo]

This made pulling off the straight shots quite challenge at the higher skill levels.

 

Remember, PS had no snap line when putting.  Putting using PS was a lot easier than putting in Pro, Champ, and especially with regard to Elite.

 

Alan

[jt83]

Medinah looks great. Not a course I am particularly fond of IRL, but it's a pretty spot on looking rendition.

 

Re: the North American centric debate....  If I get a chance to use Course Forge, one of the things I plan on doing is a Melbourne sandbelt course, as I think that is a really unique style to the world. I've spent some time there and played a couple of them, and it's a look and a feel different from anything else.

Kingston Heath?  Good ol' Royal Melbourne?

[MetaWhirledPeas]

Much as I appreciate all the visual improvements (and they are impressive) the one thing that will have me starting to take serious interest in PG will be the linkage (or whatever the jargon is) between the MS swing and the ani. Whenever I play the odd hole it (the MS swing) just feels odd without this real-time connection. Just seems that this is being relegated to updates sometime in the future rather than being near the top of the 'to do' list.

One problem they might encounter is that the motion swing's power meter and tempo don't always translate to a visually pretty swing. I personally wouldn't mind though.

[Charles]

Links 2003 RTS.

Back and forth mouse movement to play out the swing (like TW's TruSwing). The faster the forward swing the more club-head speed. Animation moved in sync with the swing, though there was no limit like PG in how long the swing could take. Some players like to precisely set the backswing with RTS before making the downswing. IIRC, the clubface always remained square but you could achieve mishits and shots off the heel and toe.

Links 2003 Powerstroke.

A hybrid of the click and RTS swings, using a horizontal axis and horizontal swingmeter. The swing was similar to PG's horizontal swing (again there was no tempo limitation with PS) but the added challenge of PS was that as the swing was made to strike the ball, there was the added requirement of also applying a click at the snap line. This made pulling off the straight shots quite challenge at the higher skill levels.

With the added comment that you can not fade or draw the ball with RTS outright, like we can with MS. I always found that a big let down in the RTS. (But it didn't stop me playing it right up to today though.. )

[slewin]

I spent a huge amount of time on Royal Melbourne but hit a wall with APCD and was no longer able to save the crz. Unfortunately the course clocked in at around 360mb before I started getting problems. The sand belt is a great challenge to recreate but very rewarding.
If I could get accurate elevation data I'd try it in CF but I've had no luck.

[Stephen Sullivan]

 

Links 2003 Powerstroke.

A hybrid of the click and RTS swings, using a horizontal axis and horizontal swingmeter. The swing was similar to PG's horizontal swing (again there was no tempo limitation with PS) but the added challenge of PS was that as the swing was made to strike the ball, there was the added requirement of also applying a click at the snap line. This made pulling off the straight shots quite challenge at the higher skill levels.

 

Wish we could have a PS Style swing gauge in PG 

[holee]

I like it the way it is.

[Stephen Sullivan]

I like it the way it is.

Unfortunately I don't. To me at the moment it doesn't feel like you are even in control or involved with the shot. It feels twitchy and unnatural. With my powerstroke swing I feel some "resistance" at the top of my swing and have some degree of distance control via movement of the ball in my stance. 

However, it looks likely that the game will cater towards click and RTS, so I think it unlikely I will play that much of it.

Perhaps some of the development team should try Links powerstroke to see what we mean     

[Mike Jones]

The team is familiar with powerstoke as you well know Stephen however there were a very small minority of players who played that way for a reason, it's was insanely difficult at higher levels and most people felt that clicking during the motion wasn't a very intuitive feature.

 

PerfectGolf has it's own way of playing with it's own brand of motion swing. You have stated many times that you were unwilling to try and get used to the motion swing in PG because you were afraid it would affect your skill at the powerstroke in Links. I don't doubt you are right as they are very different but I don't see this as a game problem this is just one person who is unwilling to adapt to a different system.

 

Maybe you will like the gamepad controller system better when it's completed as that won't have a negative impact on your play in the other game?

[Acrilix]

..... there were a very small minority of players who played that way for a reason, it's was insanely difficult at higher levels and most people felt that clicking during the motion wasn't a very intuitive feature.

 

There are in fact two methods for playing powerstroke on Links 2003. The first - clicking during the motion I agree, isn't very intuitive. The second though - holding the mouse button during the swing and simply releasing at impact I found to be far smoother in 'feel', and with a little practice soon felt completely natural. That extra factor added so much more to the nuance and complexity of the swing that it totally transformed the game to me, and meant that my swing was never quite the same from one day to another. I was playing elite RTS before and finding the game too easy and predictable when I decided to switch swing methods. I changed to pro powerstroke and never looked back. It took me about a month to break par on any course, but I remember the feeling of satisfaction when I did - it was amazing! The fact that the higher levels on powerstroke in Links 2003 are so difficult was never a problem to me as I didn't need to use them, but it was very comforting to know they were there if for any reason the level I was on also became too easy for me over time.

I fully understand a new game like Perfect Golf wanting to try new ideas though, and the tempo mouse swing sounds like a great innovation to me.

btw - Whatever happened to the 4 - click idea? I don't ever remember reading about the idea being dropped, but a normal 3 - click seems to have been adopted for public release instead. 

[Mike Jones]

Maybe the 4th click will return at some point but as most people don't even venture to the more difficult swing levels yet it would seem a little redundant at the moment to add a further difficulty related setting. 

[MimicPS]

I would venture the opinion that the fourth click is really needed in Perfect Golf.

 

I try not to deride anyone's preferred method of play, but the thing which has always made me not keen on sticking with three-click is that the swing itself is a rather two-dimensional proposition. The player's swing path is always through a fixed line, giving the effect of a perfect swing in terms of in-to-out and out-to-in every time.

 

A solution to this would be to start the swing at the far-right 'open' position of the swing, click to begin, and make an additional first click required on the snap line, then the swing continuing with animation movement into the top of the swing, click, start of the downswing and click to hit snap again. The first click at snap before the upswing is the open-closed element - the final click at snap determines purity of strike and therefore distance relative to potential.

 

That said, I motion-swing because my clicking is so rusty that it is embarrassing, so not meaning to cast any stones at all. Just a comment on the intricacies of the method.

[MimicPS]

Maybe the 4th click will return at some point but as most people don't even venture to the more difficult swing levels yet it would seem a little redundant at the moment to add a further difficulty related setting. 

 

I think once you have the tournament element coming into play Mike, you should see greater uptake of those willing to test their skills against the game. At present, multiplayer is usually a race to the lowest common denominator as far as head-to-head challenge goes.

 

Really looking forward to seeing the start of how the team want to bring competitive tournament style play into the arena. With Andrew and Mick's past experience it should be a very worthwhile element of play and raise the bar even further.

[Stephen Sullivan]

Its the click, hold and release at impact method I use Lez. I never found the other one "intuitive" at all.  

Hopefully the horizontal motion swing will incorporate that "resistance" feel I get at the top of my swing in powerstroke. I instinctively know when I have my tempo right when I get this feeling, but it's something that just isn't there in PG.

[IanK]

Its the click, hold and release at impact method I use Lez. I never found the other one "intuitive" at all.
Hopefully the horizontal motion swing will incorporate that "resistance" feel I get at the top of my swing in powerstroke. I instinctively know when I have my tempo right when I get this feeling, but it's something that just isn't there in PG.

Have you tried creating resistance by allowing your thumb and finger tips to provide friction with your mousemat? I use the vertical motion swing and it's helped me a lot.