188 replies to this topic

[Andrew]

We are pleased to announce the release of a new update for Perfect Golf.  This update has focused on a bunch of improvements to game play.

 

Content

 

The release of a new course Chicago Oaks. A Major Championship parkland sytle course.

 

The addition of a new mode of play - Challenge Mode - We have set up Par 3 challenges on all the courses released so far.  In this mode each player gets 3 cracks at getting closest to the pin on each of the par 3.  The player with the lowest cumulative best shot distance for all the par 3 wins. Great for a quick game!

 

Performance

 

We have made some general performance improvements throughout the game but have also changed the Low Quality on Swing Option to a Pause Render on Swing Option.  This new option will pause the rendering when you begin to take a swing and results in frame rates significantly higher than the old Low Quality while using the motion swing or click gameplay methods.  To say that this has been a big hit with the testers is an understatement!

 

Game Play

 

We have changed the online menu (in anticiapation for adding tournaments later) with new larger area for each multiplayer game.  In a future update we will be adding additional  information to this area so you can see more information about the game you might be joining.

 

We have extended the range of clubs that you can chip with down to the 7I.  The purpose has not been to add significant distance to the chipping but to change the behaviour between in the air and rolling on the ground

 

'Spacebar' now toggles the golfer model on and off allowing you to aim putts more easily without having to select a Driver to free up the view.

 

Expanded the Stimp Settings from 9 - 12 to 8 - 14.  Please not for those of you who use the simplified putting please remember that the base flag distance is based off of Stimp 10.

 

In conjunction with adding the pause render on swing option we have added a forward snap camera to the list of snap cameras.  This should enable people with very low end machines to be able to play the game and enjoy it by using the Player Camera, Forward Snap Camera and Pause Render on Swing. 

 

Introduced Variable rough lie penatlies which now vary both ball speed and spin more realistically with the different clubs.  The purpose of this is to give you a random lie and then allow you to change clubs to get a more consistent shot.  

 

Added Variable sand lie penatlies for full shots played from bunkers, once again affecting different clubs in different ways.

 

Improved the Splash shot physics so the ball does not carry as much spin on landing. 

 

Added fat and thin shots to splash shot physics -  A late snap will result in a shot hit 'thin' with the resulting lower and longer trajectory, an early snap will cause a slightly fat shot with less power and spin being applied to the ball.

 

Bug Fixes

 

Multiple changes to the Hole Cup Physics that should resolve most if not all the issues people were experiencing.

 

Fixed other devices plugged in causing mouse to freeze in center of screen

 

Fixed a bug in the Putting Skid calculations that still allowed the ball to break of the face of the putter.

 

Fixed the pin collisions and sounds for pin collisions 

 

Fixed nodding Camera when ball went in hole

 

Fixes for some camera views so the ball is tracked more cleanly.

 

Fixes to connection issues that should help some people who were getting disconnected

 

Added a leaderboard icon in preparation for tournament and career modes of play.  This will show the results of challenge games as well

 

Various other bug fixes such as the ball falling through the terrain under certain cirumstances, cup sounds etc.

 

Difficulty Settings

 

Added four preset levels of difficulty to the player settings. Beginner, Amateur, Professional, Tour professional. This enables or disables certain assists depending on the level chosen (some are not yet implemented). It is also currently possible to set a custom level of difficulty although these will generally not be allowed for eventual tournament play.

 

The ability to cancel a swing once in progress is now considered an assist. We have felt for a long time that this ability for a player to continually cancel and restart the swing not only slows down play and takes away the dynamic realism of the control methods. This assist has been disabled for both pro and tour pro difficulty levels.

 

Wind Speed - With this assist off you will only be given the range of the wind at the time rather than a specific number so the wind might say 12-15 MPH rather than 13 MPH

 

Wind Direction - With this assist you get a constantly changing wind direction indicator, with the assist off you only get an indication of the base wind speed.  Winds will generally not change around that by more than 45 degrees in each direction

 

Swing Meter Marks - This is a place holder but in a later update you will be able to add marks to the swing meter by turning this assist on

 

Keyboard Shortcuts

 

We have also added a new page to the settings menu that lists the current keyboard shortcuts for certain functions like turning on the top view or looking at a hole fly by. You can easily change these settings to meet your own needs, just click on the button and enter a new key.

[RobV]

Performance is mint!   New course is excellent... great job guys!   

[mebby]

Congratulations on getting the update out.

I'm a huge fan of PG. But I can't help to give a big yawn with this release - especially given the length of time that it took.

A major update is needed soon IMHO. The new course will be nice but the other improvements are seen as necessary tweaks to me. For the length of time that this update took I was hoping for more in terms of either animations or tournament play.

I know it will get there. Haven't lost hope. But I'm getting impatient.

[nightowl]

mebby, I agree.  Guess we'll have to wait some more.  :-\

[Greensboronclion]

Thanks Andrew and to the whole Dev team for getting this out. Most of us realize this is huge undertaking and to get it right it takes time and are willing to wait to get it right. Thanks again and looking forward to getting home tomorrow night and trying it out.

[KenR]

Congratulations on getting the update out.

I'm a huge fan of PG. But I can't help to give a big yawn with this release - especially given the length of time that it took.

A major update is needed soon IMHO. The new course will be nice but the other improvements are seen as necessary tweaks to me. For the length of time that this update took I was hoping for more in terms of either animations or tournament play.

I know it will get there. Haven't lost hope. But I'm getting impatient.

Couldn't disagree more. Yes, I'm a PG "fan boy", as I've "known" these guys for years now, though I despise that phrase. For a small group of guys to come this far with PG in what in production terms is really a short time when you don't have the numbers that an EA or MS has is pretty fabulous in my view.

 

Yes, we can all get a little impatient with wanting more, more, more.... that is true. But it's coming, progress is being made, and this update is a nice leap forward. Hopefully the new animations will make it into the next update.

 

Good work guys, looking forward to more in the coming days. 

[Crow357]

Yeah guys, this update is freakin awesome!  The gameplay is just fantastic, it's so real!  I love it.  

[yesrushdt]

Chicago Oaks is a great addition to the courses list.  Will Muirfield Village be released in the not too distant future?  Also, will the Perfect Parallel created courses be given some more personality before the retail release?  Not a whole lot has been added to them in terms of structures (beyond the clubhouse) and the typical objects you usually see on a course (i.e. tee box signs, yardage markers, ball washers, benches, trash cans, etc.).

 

Don't know if it's just me, but the screen size is "squished" a little bit horizontally  using the pause render on swing option.  Hopefully I won't need this option closer to the retail release once the game has been optimized.

[mebby]

Couldn't disagree more. Yes, I'm a PG "fan boy", as I've "known" these guys for years now, though I despise that phrase. For a small group of guys to come this far with PG in what in production terms is really a short time when you don't have the numbers that an EA or MS has is pretty fabulous in my view.
 
Yes, we can all get a little impatient with wanting more, more, more.... that is true. But it's coming, progress is being made, and this update is a nice leap forward. Hopefully the new animations will make it into the next update.
 
Good work guys, looking forward to more in the coming days.

Don't get me wrong. I still very much believe in the future of this game. But to wait this long for such an immaterial update is a little frustrating. I know it will get there. I'm trying to be patient. But the fact that I'm impatient actually speaks volumes to the faith I have in the ultimate end game.

[nightowl]

Well, the physics seem more refined than ever.  Kudos to the team.  The new course also looks fine.  I also like the display options for the wind.  Some miscellaneous thoughts:

- Displaying the spin% and power% suggests that the user should just "do the math" to execute a good shot.  I wonder if the %-ages need to be so exact.  Would a descriptive term be more useful instead?  I don't know.

- Still seeing the bands in the bright blue sky.  I'm guessing the team just hasn't had the time to correct this graphics flaw.

- The water surface still looks second-rate.  Poor reflections.  No translucence.  The developers have bent over backwards to accommodate low-end PCs.  How about some water-related graphics options for high-end PCs? 

- The F8 key has been disabled.  I miss it since I've always preferred to speed up the fly-by.

- Real-time weather still does not seem to work.

[Greensboronclion]

Well, the physics seem more refined than ever.  Kudos to the team.  The new course also looks fine.  I also like the display options for the wind.  Some miscellaneous thoughts:
- Displaying the spin% and power% suggests that the user should just "do the math" to execute a good shot.  I wonder if the %-ages need to be so exact.  Would a descriptive term be more useful instead?  I don't know.
- Still seeing the bands in the bright blue sky.  I'm guessing the team just hasn't had the time to correct this graphics flaw.
- The water surface still looks second-rate.  Poor reflections.  No translucence.  The developers have bent over backwards to accommodate low-end PCs.  How about some water-related graphics options for high-end PCs? 
- The F8 key has been disabled.  I miss it since I've always preferred to speed up the fly-by.
- Real-time weather still does not seem to work.

Brother is there anything out there that can please you as this appearantly is not doing the trick.

[Richard]

It blows my mind when I see posts that say, great update, but....

 

I really wish that there was a way to load the initial EA version then the current released version so that one could experience the fantastic changes and improvements. Oh, it pains me that that people have such short memories and impatience.

 

I'm also sorry and sometimes angry that people subtly imply that the development team just isn't moving fast enough. My response, TOUGH SHIT!!! This development team is, IMHO, the most responsive and savvy team around. To me, it's so obvious that they have a vision and that they are working to accomplish it. Remember it's their vision, not ours. You can elect to adopt it or orphan it, your choice.

[mebby]

It blows my mind when I see posts that say, great update, but....

 

I really wish that there was a way to load the initial EA version then the current released version so that one could experience the fantastic changes and improvements. Oh, it pains me that that people have such short memories and impatience.

 

I'm also sorry and sometimes angry that people subtly imply that the development team just isn't moving fast enough. My response, TOUGH SHIT!!! This development team is, IMHO, the most responsive and savvy team around. To me, it's so obvious that they have a vision and that they are working to accomplish it. Remember it's their vision, not ours. You can elect to adopt it or orphan it, your choice.

Richard - I'm going to attempt to stay respectful here.

 

First off - it's not the developers vision that pays the bills.  You can have a shit vision and you won't have an audience and without an audience you have no game.  So please keep that in mind.  You're absolutely right - we can choose to adopt it or not.  For the record - I've adopted it.  

 

Second - I honestly do believe that PP has a fantastic vision and one that has AND WILL deliver a fantastic experience.

 

Third - This isn't about how much better this version is than the first version that was released.  It's about the length of time that was required for the amount of change that we are seeing from the prior version and the order of prioritization that seems to be selected based on community feedback.  

 

Fourth - I'm in no way trying to be disrespectful or ungrateful for what the team is doing.  I LOVE this game.  I too, am a fanboy.  I just do not find the changes made in this release to be a major step forward.  You appear to disagree and that's OK.  What's not OK is your attitude towards any opinion that differs from your own. 

 

Look - I fully trust that the team will deliver a product that will please the majority of the crowd.  Am I being impatient?  Yes.  Is that OK?  Yes.  I paid the same amount of money that you did for the game so my opinion should count the same as yours.  

 

I hope that the work on animations makes it into the next release and I hope that the next release comes very soon.  If you don't like that then tough shit buddy.

[jt83]

Played a quick 9 at Chicago Oaks and hit a putt that looked like it should've taken the lip and gone in but seemed to hit some kind of barrier and bounce back a little...a few little cup physics issues remaining?  Apart from that, things look to be moving along nicely.  If only the dev team was twice as big!

[mebby]

Just played my first round.  A few comments/constructive feedback (I'll also post some of these to the bugs forum as well as feature enhancements forum).

 

I like the new "canned" levels of play.  On the Tour Pro option.  I do agree with the concept surrounding cancelling the swing.  However, I'd like to see an option for the user to cancel once per "shot" because sometimes things happen.  Plus, it's not that unusual for any player to stop their swing every once in a while and start over.  But stopping constantly until you get it perfect is certainly an assist and should be stopped.  Not a deal breaker for me either way but just a thought.

 

Love the new keyboard shortcuts.  Definitely speeds up play.  I would love to see more implemented eventually.

 

On Tour Pro settings - I've like to see the Overhead/Map view allowed but NOT for aiming.  I'd like for this view to resemble a GPS system where you can click on the map and it will tell you the distance from your location/ball as well as the distance to the green.  Aiming would still be required in the main screen however.  By the way - even though I've selected Tour Professional for my difficulty setting I'm still able to aim in the Map/Overhead view so this setting doesn't appear to be working appropriately.

 

I'm still not able to see the aiming marker (in the main screen) while it's at any material distance away from the golfer.  This is an existing annoying bug that needs to be fixed.  It baffles me that things like this remain unresolved while other features are focused on.

 

The grid still doesn't work if you're too far off the fairway or not in a bunker.  Like the above, this bug needs to be squashed quickly.

 

I like the new splash physics.  Much better.

 

The textures on the new course are superb.  Looks great, feels great, and plays great.

[lefty1948]

Great update guys, love the new course, keep up the good work!

IMHO you are the best team in the business!

[PurpleTurf]

So hard to read the forums.  Some major improvements on this update and never enough.  I admit I can list a ton of tweeks I would love to see implemented into this game sometime before release.  But how far this game has come with how limited the staff at PG is, is pretty amazing.

Hard to say that this isnt the best $20 ive spent in a long time, and having fun playing this game daily.  Was just saying to a buddy of mine that had computer issues and restarted his computer mid round only to reconnect to our multiplayer game, how huge is that feature in multiplayer golf that is near non existent in other games.

[Richard]

Comments inline.

 

Richard - I'm going to attempt to stay respectful here.

 

Thank you. I appreciate that since I'm aware that there are many that would not. I hope I do the same in my response.

 

First off - it's not the developers vision that pays the bills.  You can have a shit vision and you won't have an audience and without an audience you have no game.  So please keep that in mind.  You're absolutely right - we can choose to adopt it or not.  For the record - I've adopted it.

 

I disagree with you view regarding the developers vision. It's their money that is being invested. It's their risk about the vision and direction of the game. If in the end, it fails, it's their time, effort and investment that is lost. Our 'puny' $20.00 is nothing compared to their sweat and effort.

 

I'm glad that you adopted it along with many others, myself included. I think that this development team does listen to the community but is not always quick to react. I don't know why but I'll not try to speculate because it seems to me that over time their response is very positive.

 

Second - I honestly do believe that PP has a fantastic vision and one that has AND WILL deliver a fantastic experience.

 

Agree, 100%.

 

Third - This isn't about how much better this version is than the first version that was released.  It's about the length of time that was required for the amount of change that we are seeing from the prior version and the order of prioritization that seems to be selected based on community feedback. 

 

Here I have to respectfully disagree. I've been working with these guys as a tester for over 6 months. Over that time, I have made many observations and suggestions and have not had direct feedback and wondered 'why do I bother'. I'm not a programmer nor have I ever created a software program. All I know is that I trust these guys to know what needs to be done, to spend the time figuring out how to do it, and to try to create the best possible product. If some updates don't make 'monumental changes' so what, I'm perfectly happy with baby steps. I'm not about to attempt to tell  the development team that their priorities are 'screwed up'.

 

Fourth - I'm in no way trying to be disrespectful or ungrateful for what the team is doing.  I LOVE this game.  I too, am a fanboy.  I just do not find the changes made in this release to be a major step forward.  You appear to disagree and that's OK.  What's not OK is your attitude towards any opinion that differs from your own.

 

I'm not sure what you mean my 'what's not OK is your attitude towards any opinion that differs from your own.' If you mean that I should not indicate that I disagree, then you are right. I don't agree. If you feel that you can post expressing a dissatisfaction with the update, why do you object to my posting that I disagree. As my immigrant grandfather would have said, 'it makes for no brains'. Translation: it makes no sense.

 

Look - I fully trust that the team will deliver a product that will please the majority of the crowd.  Am I being impatient?  Yes.  Is that OK?  Yes.  I paid the same amount of money that you did for the game so my opinion should count the same as yours.

 

I completely agree with you that you opinion should count just as much as mine. I also agree that we can agree to disagree on some points or issues.

 

I hope that the work on animations makes it into the next release and I hope that the next release comes very soon.  If you don't like that then tough shit buddy.

 

I don't know when the animation/swing tie-in will occur but I feel confident that it will occur prior to full release. I have no idea what difficulties are being encountered but, again I think that the development team will publish this enhancement when, and only when, they are satisfied that it meets their requirements. To feel that the development team is being 'unresponsive' to the community because an enhancement is not being incorporated immediately is, in my book, being disrespectful even though disrespect may not be intended.

 

 

In spite of all the 'point' 'counterpoint' above. I'm glad that we do agree that we love this game. If the bottom line disagreement is just the speed of development, it's a 'mice nuts' issue.

[mebby]

Fair enough Richard.  We both love the game and we both have different views on certain things and that's certainly OK.  No use/benefit in either of us continuing to counter each other now that we've both said our piece.

[nightowl]

Brother is there anything out there that can please you as this appearantly is not doing the trick.

I thought I was providing constructive feedback.  In fact, I balanced my (mostly) minor complaints with compliments.  Surely, you don't think the developers only want to be showered with praise, do you?