44 replies to this topic

[olazaboll]

From what I learned in the CF video you will be able to play the course you have made ... or the holes you have made in CF ,,,, like an "slim version" of the future PG game

 

1/ Will it be possible to import other designers into your CF program to play the course in The Slim Version ?

 

2/ if so ... Will it also be possible to import "locked courses" into CF , play them in The Slim Version , but not be able to modify them ?

 

If this question already been asked and answered ... my appolgies

[Mike Jones]

In the CF video you are talking about we dropped in the physics and player module so we could test directly inside of the Editor. I don't think this functionality will make it into Courseforge in the end as it's really a part of PerfectGolf. If you want to quickly playtest something you have made, it's not a long process to simply compile your work in progress course and play it in PerfectGolf. As such the 'slim version' you talk about will not exist.

 

At the moment you can import the elevations etc from an apcd course as long as it's unlocked. I don't think it would be right to allow people to take content from locked courses as there is probably a reason it was locked in the first place! You also won't be able to use other people's built versions of their PerfectGolf courses in Courseforge, if someone wants to share their full editable project with you however, that would be up to them.

[olazaboll]

Ok ... Thank You Mike 

 

The reason for my post was more like exploring the opportunities to play the courses in Course Forge, before Perfect Golf is released ... I wasn't planning to take Terrain/objects etc from locked CF courses ... just play it, if the designer gave permission and supplied the course.  .... but as you write......  that option would probably not be there .

(I presume the CF courses like APCD courses can be locked)

 

Might seems odd that I ask the question , but as I see it ,from a personal point of view, is that CF will  be a fatastic tool , but before you can use it you need learn the Unity program wich seems more complex .

My plans was maybe to purshase the CF directly once its avbl .... but I think I will wait until the full release of the game .... Thank you again for you answer.

[axe360]

In the CF video you are talking about we dropped in the physics and player module so we could test directly inside of the Editor. I don't think this functionality will make it into Courseforge in the end as it's really a part of PerfectGolf. If you want to quickly playtest something you have made, it's not a long process to simply compile your work in progress course and play it in PerfectGolf. As such the 'slim version' you talk about will not exist.

 

At the moment you can import the elevations etc from an apcd course as long as it's unlocked. I don't think it would be right to allow people to take content from locked courses as there is probably a reason it was locked in the first place! You also won't be able to use other people's built versions of their PerfectGolf courses in Courseforge, if someone wants to share their full editable project with you however, that would be up to them.

 

Exactly why earlier this year I commented about putting the cart before the horse, we need a playable game, in order to test courses, so the CF can come out later..

 

Peace

[Mike Jones]

It's the chicken and the egg scenario, we had to make CF in tandem with the game in order to create the courses on which we play PerfectGolf. There really is no point in having one without the other. 

[Kablammo11]

If you want to quickly playtest something you have made, it's not a long process to simply compile your work in progress course and play it in PerfectGolf. 

 

 

I'm aware of the chicken and egg paradoxon. And I wonder if you can put on numeric value on "quickly" - 5 minutes?

 

But most importantly, the game would need to have special game settings for efficient course testing, like a special "practice" mode, including a 1-Click swing meter, for instance, or the possibility to take endless mulligans or to place a ball anywhere we want in order to test a specific area.

It would also be nice (but perhaps not possible), to switch between all the available pin positions whilst in the game, to be able to approach and test-putt the greens without having to exit and re-load. Perhaps even the option to change the force and direction of the wind and the terrain settings in mid-game to better suss out all the factors. 

 

I could also imagine uploading a bare course somewhere, without all the trees or mesh models, and making it available to other course designers (or non-designing volunteers, that is) to test drive it. Always helps to receive some outside input to iron out the kinks the creator himself has become blind to due to his proximity. Not everybody's cup of tea, I realize, to share unfinished work. Of course, I would be willing to return the favor.

[Mike Jones]

My mid range machine takes 2 to 5 minutes to compile a course file. We already have a practice mode which will no doubt be refined over time, I think having all pins visible in practice mode would be a good idea - I'll put it on the list.

[Dazmaniac]

My mid range machine takes 2 to 5 minutes to compile a course file. We already have a practice mode which will no doubt be refined over time, I think having all pins visible in practice mode would be a good idea - I'll put it on the list.

 

This is a feature of Links 2003 in practice mode (that can be toggled on/off as player requires) and whilst only 1 hole was actually 'playable' (where you could actually hole out) the other pins were all there to be seen and it is a great help when settings pins for tournaments that you can actually putt to the locations of other pins to see if they would be suitable, without having to exit and choose another pin location and then re-enter practice mode.

 

[axe360]

Being able to test pin positions without having to reload would be a killer thing.. You couldn't do that in TW's and I always wished you could... Brilliant!!!

[Andrew]

Yeah we actually discussed this the other day during testing in practice mode.  In practice mode you can hit a key and the game zooms you up to an overhead view of the course.  you can then click anywhere on the course to hit balls from that point.  once you click it zooms you back in to that area.  Rinse and repeat.  At the moment it plants the pin you selected.  As Mike said we will add this to the list, but look for it in a later version

[Dazmaniac]

Yeah we actually discussed this the other day during testing in practice mode.  In practice mode you can hit a key and the game zooms you up to an overhead view of the course.  you can then click anywhere on the course to hit balls from that point.  once you click it zooms you back in to that area.  Rinse and repeat.  At the moment it plants the pin you selected.  As Mike said we will add this to the list, but look for it in a later version

 

Why, is there a current version, lol? Let us at it!

 

Sorry, couldn't help myself.

 

[axe360]

Yeah, we love to hunt for bugs..

[Kablammo11]

Thanks, Mike and Andrew, for welcoming my suggestion about simultaneous pin positions.

 

A few words of (elderly, conservative) caution about the "zooming up into course overview" thing, though:

 

- from a course designers point of view, this would break the spell. From up high, for instance, you get to detect the tiling of textures which are working well on ground level. And if you zoom up from an area close to the edge of the terrain, you get to stare into the gap where the panorama transits with the terrain - and the overall "illusion" of a world view might suffer.

 

- Also, it could be an unnecessary detour. Suppose I want to fine tune one of my designs and need to move ahead in 15yds increments? Would it make sense, every time I want to do that, to be torn off the ground, ripped half a mile up into the air only to fall crashing down onto a spot nearby? Of course, if free walking and moving is allowed in practice mode, I'd just mosey over instead.

 

- Also, and this is personal taste more than anything else, I am not a fan of zooming about, gliding through, flipping pages etc just because you can on computers. On my computer I always toggle off all those merry little zoom, glide, page flip effects because they are so… annoying. Most of these things might be okay or even funny the first time around, but if you have to repeat them 100s and 100s of time, they become very irritating (to me).

 

So, instead of zooming up like, I suppose, simulating the crazy take-off of a jetpack pilot who accidentally hit the thrusters, a simple hard cut into a top view might do the trick better. Also, imo, this top view need not show the whole course. Just a quarter or so of it is enough, and those who wish to shift this view further away could do so with the arrow or WASD keys. 

Personally, I could live (and be happy), with the option of staying down on the ground and of teleporting to any spot on my screen on which I click with my mouse.

[Andrew]

Yeah we talked about being able to see the edges of the course.  Right now we are focused on enabling the functionality for us to be able to go anywhere to practice so we can test.  So lets say we decide that we want to limit the height above the ground to 20M and then implement a edge of course barrier so that you cant go near the course edges and that that adds 2 weeks to the release date would you rather have it now or wait.  Of course this goes for everything else too.  Want to be able to move the ball around with a mouse click too... Add more time.... Want to be able to walk around the course in practice mode...  Well lets go ahead and build animations for that implement the controls in the game add another few weeks, and this is just practice mode....  

Hopefully as I stated in another thread we can get a release out so people can play.  We will provide you with access to our bug feature and improvement site and everyone will be able to vote for certain things and we will be able to prioritize 

I will try and get a video of practice mode up so you can see it.....

[Kablammo11]

Since you ask: I'd rather have it two weeks sooner and would gladly take it now, as is. By all means, do not waste time on stuff that can wait until later. Anyway, my remarks were simple suggestions and not an attempt to dictate your work schedule or to set your priorities.

Small traces of exasperation, perhaps, in your last post? Sounded a bit grumpy. Un-furrow your worried brow and think happy thoughts, Andrew.

[axe360]

In TW's Pc Series, seeing the empty space between the pano and the plot can be controlled in a couple of ways.

 

1. You don't trim your plot to close to any hole on the course, we must leave at least 300yds from any part of the hole to the edge of the plot..

 

2. As for the empty space, in our game, you don't see an empty space but it looks radioactive, so if the pano designer makes that part (which is called the high bowl) the same color as the plot,  and you observe the 300yd rule, then it will go virtually unnoticed.

 Now for the WASD key's, please, add the F and V key as the key's that take you up and down in a smooth motion, an inch at a time or continuous until you reach the highest limit of the camera. Should be higher then the tallest tree we can plant..

 

Limiting being able to go near the course edge is doable but only for those playing the game as designers of course need to go to the edge to do elevations.

 

Lastly I'm sorry to say, but most of these items have been available in TW's PC for years now and I wonder why they seem to be new concepts to some? I would think they would have been basic.. You can while in practice mode just clik the mouse and put the ball anywhere on the hole your on..

 

Lastly again, lol. I am confused, are we going to get a beta for the game first or is PG just going to put out the game to be played and beta testing will go on during that time?

 

I only use TW's because that is my experience and as I have said many times before, it wasn't perfect but I will try to get the things that were good about it, into this game.. I mean how can anyone say an F and V key to go up and down, is not a good thing?

 

As a designer I need to go anywhere on the course, whether it's ground level to an inch of anything or up above the trees to look at the entire plot. Full 360 degrees..

 

 

 

Peace

[Mike Jones]

Don't confuse practice mode in PerfectGolf with the ability to roam around the plot in CourseForge. In CourseForge you can go anywhere and see everything, you can even go below ground or under the water in the lakes, wherever you want. Practice mode in PG is mainly there to practice playing the course. 

Having said that,  a 'walking' mode inside PerfectGolf is very easy for us to implement and so I see no reason why we won't include that.

[axe360]

Thank you for the reply.. I sure needed that ability (in the game) and in the architect in TW's, so that I can find and fix seams/tears, angular/sharp edges that occur during the design process and need to zoom in very close to the terrain while in the game/practice mode....

 

Noting that in the CA (course architect) the course didn't look anything like the course (in the game), I'm assuming that will be the same with the CF and PG?

 

 

Of course, I don't know if or how much these things (tears, seams, angular edges etc) will occur with CF but although I would like to have the ability to view the terrain on a particular hole at ground level or whatever level I need as a designer, it couldn't hurt to have that option available (in game) for those of us who need it, those that dont just won't use it and I am glad you intend on implementing that into the game...

 

Peace

[Harald]

Sounds good to me so i can try to wear my Scuba Suit for shots out of Water too

[axe360]

Here is an example of how a seam looks while in the CA (Course Architect)TW's..

 

 

Here is the same seam in the game.. Much easier and faster to find in the game, while in practice mode..

 

 

Now granted, this is an old game and architect but as you can see, a practice mode that has the capabilities to fly around each hole at ground level or any level for that matter was a MUST in TW's... Maybe this setup will be different?