28 replies to this topic

[clubcaptain]

Leaving aside any spies or subversives, the hours in game you quote we here would say are obviously not sufficient for anyone to get anything like a true feel for the game. However, like so many other things, first impressions count and often colour someones attitudes and thoughts on a long term basis.

 

What this game needs is for anyone to pick it up and straightaway say "WOW". This game doesn't do that by any means. Additionally the satisfaction rating needs to be ongoing. Someone posted recently that the game is boring, something that Mike had some sympathy for.

 

Time and again I've said that success of  this and any other game is measured by the number of casual  players playing. Those of us who post here are, by and large not casual players. We have a greatly differing perspective from other players. The way of the world is that the kind of reactions you saw are not going to be unusual but the game should have enough wow factor and interest to stifle  some of those views.

 

There's been a lot of discussion about ball physics, lipouts and spin backs by us lot here. The casual player doesn't give a monkey's about all that. He/she picks up the game and quite possibly in a couple of days thinks that they can't judge where the ball is going to land because there's too much run. If they hit the green the ball spins back 30 yards into the rough (and BTW they don't want to hear about things like underclubbing, which doesn't always work anyway). Once on the green the ball lips out frequently.

 

After a couple of days the reaction is s**t let's move onto something else. After they've written a crap review of course and they might be the type you have seen who you feel has put in minimal hours into the game.

 

They can't be judged as being wrong. They do the game a service by providing food for thought about how to overcome deficiencies.

[DoGgs]

Why do you even take steam reviews seriously?  They are a joke 99% of the time. There is one guy still in my friends list ( god knows how as he is a total idiot ) he ripped apart JNPG in his steam review, and claims to have wasted his money, TGC is much better and that's all he now plays.  Lol i see him every day with the pop up saying he is now playing JNPG"  he rarely plays TGC.  Steam reviews are plagued by people just like that, it will never change.

[Dazmaniac]

Agree with DoGgZ,

When folks can write a 'review' for any game purchased on Steam, not just JNPG, that basically says:-

Bought the game, couldn't play it. Got a refund.

Its as if the game was purchased with the sole intent to add a negative review.

Now folks can buy a game and get a full refund within 14 days of purchase and less than 2hrs game play, the review system is open to abuse.

[trailblazergolf]

hey---- you have a gr8 game here -improve what you can --ignore the critics-- and keep it going on !!!

[trailblazergolf]

those who complain probably want something like links-( which was a gr8 game in it's time ) but you have moved on to something better !!!

[mebby]

those who complain probably want something like links-( which was a gr8 game in it's time ) but you have moved on to something better !!!

I think the complainers want something they can pick up and shoot 15 under par in their first round.  They could probably get close to that using the easiest level in the game but that's not what they want.

[Crusher]

@trailblazergolf:  You are correct.

 

Also. They cannot adapt to a particular swing type or they do not have a machine that can handle the game.

[GoldenBear]

I have a two word review for this game.  Game great

[Buck]

I have yet to do a Steam Review of the game myself, for one simple reason.

 

I want to be able to give it a great review and I just wouldn't be able to objectively deliver something like that right now.

 

Too much is still needed, too much is still un-addressed, etc.

I think we all here are mainly quiet about that stuff at this point, as we know they know it and they are working as hard as they can on all the different things.

 

There is no doubt that many Steam reviews are very unfair (and ridiculous and trolling, etc), but there are kernels of truth in some of the not so positive reviews if looked at closely.

[M Rose]

There are Links players who were openly encouraging forum members to write poor reviews of PG. I don't think many people followed through on that, though.

I still read those forums sometimes and I'm sure others here do too.

[mebby]

There are Links players who were openly encouraging forum members to write poor reviews of PG. I don't think many people followed through on that, though.

I still read those forums sometimes and I'm sure others here do too.

LOL!  Wow... I wasn't aware of that.  That's ridiculous.  

[Buck]

There are Links players who were openly encouraging forum members to write poor reviews of PG

 

Wow is that sad and pathetic...

[M Rose]

It was mostly one or two guys who had a run in with the Devs over something and held a grudge.

It's disappointing, but at the same time I think many of them were worried they would be losing a lot of top designers to the new medium. And they have.... but I make no apologies for it. I'm not going back to the days of making 400 manual seam blends.

[Buck]

And they have.... but I make no apologies for it. I'm not going back to the days of making 400 manual seam blends.

 

No apologies needed!

Links is old and its time as a front runner is in the past.

 

Doesn't meant people can't keep enjoying it, but at some point the forward looking folks will move along (and have).

[M Rose]

I loved it. I played it for nearly 20 years. When I finally got to design courses for it, it was a dream because the designer didn't come out for awhile and I was using GBC instead, which was a good game but not as good as Links. I'd pined after a Links design program for a long time before it finally came out (and I got a beta copy).

But it was so complex that it took me years to make something halfway decent, and more than a decade to feel like I'd mastered it.

I just don't have that kind of time anymore. I'm not 23 and unemployed and living at home with too much time on my hands.

So without getting too far off topic.... basically technology and evolution rules the day. One day something better than Course Forge may come along, but in the meantime, it's the standard.

[Dazmaniac]

Some of the LC crowd get very defensive about Links 2003 and even earlier versions in the series.

 

I loved my many years with Links but have now moved on. If you make any mention you play JNPG and not Links any more you're likely to get jumped on and then they try and tell you why Links is a superior game to JNPG and how the latter will never take Links's place.

 

Even posting, maybe tongue in cheek, to upload a review of JNPG and tell folks Links 2003 is better. FFS grow up.

 

[Crusher]

It was mostly one or two guys who had a run in with the Devs over something and held a grudge.

It's disappointing, but at the same time I think many of them were worried they would be losing a lot of top designers to the new medium. And they have.... but I make no apologies for it. I'm not going back to the days of making 400 manual seam blends.

 

And most likely they are using computers that are still XP OS or upgraded to Windows 7.   People who will not part with legacy machines and software because they can't or they just don't want to learn new-tech.  That's my take. 

[Charles]

JNPG is the most superior golf sim out there. There is just no comparison. The game is in the building blocks so comparing it with finished games is nonsens. I was a great Links fan and JN6-GBC before that. JNPG is the big jump forward however. I have no doubt that in the end JNPG will set the new benchmark for the genre. My only complaint is that it's taking forever to complete, but having said that, I realise that the PP org. is a small set up, so it is what it is. Right now the foundation of the game is VERY promising. I have enough courses to play, and once the REC round option reaches completion etc I'll be set up for life. For me, there is nothing better in the golf sim gameworld. Even now I'm totally sold on it. And it can only get better so i'm a happy swinger. Still, I'm awaiting the next BIG update!!..

[jt83]

I'd say a lot of the negative reviews stem from the fact the game isn't finished in a traditional sense.  Once all the things that have been suggested are done and the game develops more of a Nicklaus presence, reviews will take care of themselves.