SimGolf: I eat my words ... it's FUN! - Page 2

Grumbold · January 31, 2002, 08:20

Looks like there's a patch out for the tournament problem already.

Last night I had another go and was delighted to get my first top-18 rated hole for a real mean par 5. now all I have to do is figure out why Gary Golf can par it and occasionally birdie in practice sessions but almost invariably double-bogeys at tournament time. It must be the pressure

Michael Fetterman · January 31, 2002, 11:49

Quote:

Originally posted by Grumbold

...figure out why Gary Golf can par it and occasionally birdie in practice sessions but almost invariably double-bogeys at tournament time. It must be the pressure

When launching a tournament there are 3 options that may be affecting this... all of them serve to make the holes a bit more difficult for the seasoned pros who will be participating.

Grumbold - Are you using the roll greens flat and smooth (sic) option? This may up the number of putts required, depending upon your putting skill... Note that I have heard a complaint about this particular option creating weird putting situations where it takes 5 putts to make it even with high skill in putting, and we will be looking into it to make sure that it works as it should.

Grumbold · January 31, 2002, 13:19

Yes, I'm playing the demo and hadn't tried turning off such options as 'roll them flat' since I assume that was more of an exhortation to your groundkeepers to get the course looking as trim as possible for the cameras

Most noticable has been the tee-off driver shot. On my opening par 5 I can normally slot between the rockface and the tree every time. Make it a tournament and the SimPressure seems to get Gary Golf (and all the other seasoned pro's) to hash it up, or go in the water on their next shot. It's quite hilarious to see when most of the course regulars do better than that on a daily basis.

Grumbold · January 31, 2002, 15:29

Quote:

Originally posted by Osweld
I don't know if the demo allows you to do this, but if you want to do a championship on my courses, I'll include them. Scorpion Cove is the first course I made, and Country Kaincide is the second. (provided I zipped the right files, they go in the /themes/championship directory)

No, they are not compatible. There is a 9k difference in file size and when you look at them on the championship list they claim to have over 2000 holes and a truly amazing fun factor. Needless to say, they don't load

Those of us using the demo should be able to swap our 3 hole courses though ....

Imran Siddiqui · February 1, 2002, 06:18

I think I might just go out on get SimGolf... heh, even before Wizardry 8

.

yin26 · February 2, 2002, 01:15

It is very fun, but I noticed a *much* bigger problem than the putts (which still went screwy for me) in tournament mode:

1) You don't collect greens fees during tournaments. That's O.K., of course, if the tournament finishes.

What? You asked.

Yes, my last tournament never finished. A group of participants simply walked around the tee for months as my cash, which started at +30,000 dropped to -$120,000 and the board eventually got on me for having negative cash for 2 years straight.

That's a game breaker. Any word on that one?

Pembleton · February 3, 2002, 16:35

Don't take this the wrong way Yin, because my opinion of you has greatly increased since the days of our verbal sparring.

But I just wanted to mention that you also had an initial enjoyment of Civ3 which wore off. So the real indication of how you feel about the game will be more evident in the following week or later.

Grumbold · February 3, 2002, 18:02

I've not found that one after quite a lot of demo games. Maybe it never crept into the real thing? I'm not going to go chasing SimGolf forums until the game is released in the UK. I've got too many sites to read already for games I am playing

Smash · February 3, 2002, 19:16

The game comes in a relatively tiny box!

Its about time.Now, I know the publisher is just cheap and not trying to save the enviroment,but its a good sign.
It really stands out on the shelves.This little dwarf of a box,flanked by mega boxes and special tins and what not.

Costs more than Civ3

I bought it

ravagon · February 3, 2002, 20:07

Quote:

Originally posted by yin26
Yes, my last tournament never finished. A group of participants simply walked around the tee for months as my cash, which started at +30,000 dropped to -$120,000 and the board eventually got on me for having negative cash for 2 years straight.

That's a game breaker. Any word on that one?

Guess you really should have invested more in ball-boys.

Although I've never heard of any golfer spending a couple of years searching for a lost ball before.

Maybe it was a personal favourite that he just couldn't afford to lose.

yin26 · February 3, 2002, 21:24

Pembleton: No offense taken. Though I think I was clear that the thing I was most impressed with about Civ3 was the AI that could launch attacks overseas under carrier support. I'm still impressed with that, and I said clearly then that I would need to do more testing on the things that bothered me.

As for SimGolf, I want to highlight that this is NOT a primary game for me but a game I seem to enjoy playing when I want a break from gaming ... if that makes sense.

While I don't ever see myself putting SimGolf on my Top List, I am, nevertheless, quite surprised at how well it turned out! And I can see lots of people who enjoy Sim type stuff going nuts for it. Remember that I don't like Sim stuff at all, so for me to like the game as much as I do is pretty significant.

This tournament issue, though, is troublesome ... and I hope that gets more attention than have the problems in Civ3.

ravagon: LOL! Could be, except they weren't looking for the ball. They were refusing to tee-off! Instead, they walked around in circles by the tee, got tired (and annoyed), and ripped into both my fun rating and my finances! Not cool.

Maybe I can hire a drill sergeant?

Steve Clark · February 4, 2002, 15:38

I, too, downloaded the SimGolf demo and played it for about an hour this weekend (I needed a break from the intensity of Medal of Honor). While I look some of the older Sim-games, I absolutely detest anything and everything about The Sims. But I also like golf games and most of Sid's games, so I tried it out. It does have a hook in that it presents you with lots of informational screens to analyze (that's one of the main things I look for in strategy games). However, there are two concerns:
1. All of the terrain in the demo is 2D flat. Does the released version has terrains that appear to be rolling or hilly?
2. There has to be a way to turn off those stupid, insipid comments that the golfers make, isn't there???? Please tell me that I can. If I want to gauge player reactions, I'll go to the proper report but don't clutter up the game with "personalities" and "characters" that I have no interest in viewing. This obviously comes from The Sims, which imho, is the worst concept for a game ever. I just don't want to be subjected to it in SimGolf.

Smash · February 4, 2002, 16:14

Differnet tracks of lands can be lumpy and bumpy but generally you do that yourself.Its in "buildings" iirc.There are 3 different "elevate" buttons.You can raise and lower anything,

Yes you can turn them off in preferences.Might not be in the demo.

Steve Clark · February 4, 2002, 16:31

Thanks, Smash, I'll be picking this title up tonight.

Smash · February 6, 2002, 17:43

This stupid,pointless,easy "game" is fun

5th green at Ravenwood....someone familiar is playing...

ravagon · February 6, 2002, 20:09

LoL@Smash

You put a lighthouse on a golf course as a warning to keep away from the water??!!

What an absolute classic!

Still

Smash · February 7, 2002, 03:06

hehehe..thats a landmark.Landmarks have special powers(like wonders).That one keeps dandelions from growing.

My latest project is Coyote Flats.A desert course with residential development.Numerous celebrities own homes here.

The green at the heroic 378 yard par 4 fifth hole-"Magnolia" Players face a tough approach to the elevated green.

and the 9th green on the par 4- 486 yard "Paradise" hole.Players can rip it off the tee but face a tricky long iron approach.There is the lighthouse again...this time in the middle of the desert

thats my resort hotel.The 10th tee will go in that desert area by the blue/purple flowers.

yin26 · February 7, 2002, 03:09

Hey, have you run into any of the tournament problems I wrote about? By the way, nice course designs!

Smash · February 7, 2002, 03:32

kinda.

I had 2 problems.

one time all the players bunched up on 1 hole and kept looping back forth from a nearby snack bar and a tee.Soon the whole feild was here.I demolished the snack bar and that got things going again.Took awhile to clear up.I took away bunkers and what not,added a path and benches to help a little more

The other "problem" is you can't or shouldn't(bug?) make any changes to tees or pins while a tournament is underway.You can't reopen a hole until the the tourny is finished.That can cause some problems with players having really long walks to the next tee..especailly since tournys are a shotgun start...tournys can take a long time if you do this.

yin26 · February 7, 2002, 03:52

Now that I think about it, I believe I *did* add holes during the tournament. Yes, that should either be A) simply not allowed by the comp or B) (obviously) fixed so that it doesn't kill your tournament.

Cool! I can finally try another game now that I think you've explained what went wrong.

Imran Siddiqui · February 7, 2002, 05:38

Reading this thread again has me wanting to play another SimGolf game....

Grumbold · February 7, 2002, 13:17

Anyone tried out 'impossible' yet? I had a go with the demo and found I would have to totally rethink course design. Everyone's accuracy had dropped badly so they were hacking from pine tree to bunker to water and quitting in frustration. My own Pro was coming up with double figure scores on the par 4's! Happiness was hovering at around -5 with all three holes open, two scenic bridges and a Bhudda desperately trying to raise morale

It's going to be another month before I get the real game darnit. With you talking of tiny boxes I'm expecting it to be DvD only here and we're getting kind of used to them now. Only things like Civ III and MoO III have the manuals to demand extra box space.

Smash · February 7, 2002, 15:52

There seems to be a small problem concerning pro tournaments and snackbars.
I had them all "looping" again.I had 2 snackbars and all the sim golfers were walking back and forth between them.They would all eventually pile up and do this "looping".
I got rid of 1 snackbar and all was ok.SO...get rid of snackbars for tourneys or at least keep an eye on them.They get hungry,but at least they play.

Steve Clark · February 8, 2002, 13:09

After three nights, I have been completely addicted to SimGolf. This really caught me by surprise and it has turned out to be one of the most fun/addicting titles I've played since I started getting the Impressions Games (Pharaoh, Zeus, etc.) a couple of years ago. That makes two titles this year alone (along with Gothic) that has entered my favorites list. I've only built 4 holes so far, played in 2 tournaments but I've encountered no problems at all. Also, it's good to see Sid and the gang active in improving this.

Do you think we can get Markos to add a SimGolf forum under Other Games?

Also, to Dan Magaha, I must apologize. I detest anything to do with The Sims, so I deleted all of the "stories" files, including the ones you wrote.

Smash · February 8, 2002, 18:34

They do have a BBS set up at SimGolf http://simgolf.ea.com/bbs/...unfortunately,it is full of typical new game posts.But they are enthusiatic over there at least.

They are looking for saves of glitches.

Imran Siddiqui · February 8, 2002, 18:53

HOLY CRAP!

Sid posts on the SimGolf page!

So I guess we know which game he's really interested in

.

Dan Magaha FIRAXIS · February 9, 2002, 15:18

Steve,

I'll try not to take it personally

Dan

yin26 · February 10, 2002, 11:01

Here's a quick photo of some San Diego paradise I just created. I'm getting a bit more creative with the designs (like fairways and elevated tees). I do have a question, though: Is SimGolf "gay friendly"? I ask because 'Snoop' and 'Larry' started a love diary.

Hey, fine by me ... but in that case, I'd like to have some Bed and Breakfast options so I can up the greens fees.

ColdWizard · February 12, 2002, 02:27

since both Yin and Imran say it's good, i'm downloading the demo despite no previous interest.

the screenshots look good too. if my dialup connection craps out before the download is finished, i may buy the game outright as Yin AND Imran agree, and therefore cannot possibly be wrong

yin26 · February 12, 2002, 04:04

LOL! Yes, this is a rare occurance, to be sure.

Well, here is a kind of 'Water Motif" I put together in one corner of the course. Hope it inspires you!: