Links Sports.NET

Ok, I have a version that's 99.999999% complete now. There's one issue left that we're trying to work out. I expect to have the LSPN Test server running next week and will have the BETA version of the patch available for download for those who want to help test out the tour with it. The patch includes:

- Multiplayer LSPN using Direct IP
- LTS/LTF Multiplayer using Direct IP
- New LTF tourney option and LTF Tourney API for tour sites
- Combined v1.05 and v1.06 green settings for a total of 6 green speeds/hardness
- Now using v1.06 club distances
- Addition of the course settings options, which allows designers to set up custom physics on a course instead of the normal green speeds/hardness.
- In the Player editor you'll be able to choose your clubs - thanks to the Links Ani Masters there are some cool clubs to choose from that you can download from their web site http://www.linksanimasters.com/
- Support for widescreen resolutions
- New 'Allow chipping on the green' option
- New 'Gusty' wind option
- Ability to use custom skies using the APCD-Courses.com sky editor
- Changed the way courses are detected in Links for the LSPN. Some people would receive an error stating they don't have the correct course, even if there's only 1 version of the course.

Mark

Great news Mark, thanks for all your efforts and time.

That really is terrific news and I can hardly wait to give it a whirl. Thanks for all the hard work and commitment Mark..it is very appreciated!

PS

Wow! I'm excited now! Thanks Mark! I appreciate the heavy lifting (hard work) you've been doing to keep us young bucks happy here at LSPN.

lstouradmin wrote: - Addition of the course settings options, which allows designers to set up custom physics on a course instead of the normal green speeds/hardness.

Not quite sure that I follow exactly what this means, does it mean a designer for example, can make slow/soft play differently on their course than standard slow/soft? That would be a shame/dangerous, imho.

Justin

DennisHarris wrote:...keep us young bucks happy here at LSPN.

ooooch, I think I just pinched my sciatic...

Justin_I wrote:

lstouradmin wrote: - Addition of the course settings options, which allows designers to set up custom physics on a course instead of the normal green speeds/hardness.

Not quite sure that I follow exactly what this means, does it mean a designer for example, can make slow/soft play differently on their course than standard slow/soft? That would be a shame/dangerous, imho.

Justin

I agree with Justin. That would make the game one of luck rather than skill.

Justin_I wrote:

lstouradmin wrote: - Addition of the course settings options, which allows designers to set up custom physics on a course instead of the normal green speeds/hardness.

Not quite sure that I follow exactly what this means, does it mean a designer for example, can make slow/soft play differently on their course than standard slow/soft? That would be a shame/dangerous, imho.

Justin

I think you've misunderstood a bit of what it means - the designers can specify their own speeds/firmness and not have to stick to the "standard" six settings. So, it is not that Soft/Slow will be different on that one course than others - it won't. However, as an additional option when you setup the course to play, you can choose "Use Course Green Speed" and "Use Course Green Firmness" in addition to the standard choices. Only when these choices are made will the course play with the different physics.

I believe this is a superb addition to the game, as the courses could be designed to play the way they were intended (either by the fictional designer or by the real designer, in the case of real courses). All it means is that one would have to play/practice that particular course a bit before entering a tournament where it is used. The only drawback I see is that there is only ever ONE speed and firmness when the option is selected. I think I would have preferred that soft/slow on one course is different from soft/slow on another, but knowing that most people don't really want this game to exactly reflect the real game (or most of use wouldn't break 90!), it is the next best option.

This addition allows courses at elevation, such as Castle Pines, to play as they do in real life. I think there has been past discussion on having such an option and now, it becomes reality. On the OWGC, there have been two courses designed using custom physics - Kapalua Plantation and Augusta. While the testing that was done on the tour this year may have been a bit exaggerated, I found playing these courses to be much better than trying to fit the set speed/hardness conditions before the round.

I hope that helps explain this option a bit better. It won't change the existing designs (as the design has to incorporate such physics changes). If a course doesn't have the modified physics and "Use Course Green Speeds" and "Use Course Green Firmness" is selected, the conditions default to Soft/Slow (1.05).

Armand

Armand wrote:

Justin_I wrote:

lstouradmin wrote: - Addition of the course settings options, which allows designers to set up custom physics on a course instead of the normal green speeds/hardness.

Not quite sure that I follow exactly what this means, does it mean a designer for example, can make slow/soft play differently on their course than standard slow/soft? That would be a shame/dangerous, imho.

Justin

I think you've misunderstood a bit of what it means - the designers can specify their own speeds/firmness and not have to stick to the "standard" six settings. So, it is not that Soft/Slow will be different on that one course than others - it won't. However, as an additional option when you setup the course to play, you can choose "Use Course Green Speed" and "Use Course Green Firmness" in addition to the standard choices. Only when these choices are made will the course play with the different physics.

I believe this is a superb addition to the game, as the courses could be designed to play the way they were intended (either by the fictional designer or by the real designer, in the case of real courses). All it means is that one would have to play/practice that particular course a bit before entering a tournament where it is used. The only drawback I see is that there is only ever ONE speed and firmness when the option is selected. I think I would have preferred that soft/slow on one course is different from soft/slow on another, but knowing that most people don't really want this game to exactly reflect the real game (or most of use wouldn't break 90!), it is the next best option.

This addition allows courses at elevation, such as Castle Pines, to play as they do in real life. I think there has been past discussion on having such an option and now, it becomes reality. On the OWGC, there have been two courses designed using custom physics - Kapalua Plantation and Augusta. While the testing that was done on the tour this year may have been a bit exaggerated, I found playing these courses to be much better than trying to fit the set speed/hardness conditions before the round.

I hope that helps explain this option a bit better. It won't change the existing designs (as the design has to incorporate such physics changes). If a course doesn't have the modified physics and "Use Course Green Speeds" and "Use Course Green Firmness" is selected, the conditions default to Soft/Slow (1.05).

Armand

If I understand you correctly Armand, the designer can set course conditions and if 'Use Course Conditions' is checked, the conditions will be unknown to the player unless the course is practiced. I hope that option is not used much, because I don't have the desire or time to practice on courses prior to a tournament or private match. Course conditions change like the weather and should be determined by the person setting up the tournament. I'll have to see how it works, but pre-set conditions by the designer doesn't seem like a great idea to me.

Thanks for the info.

And it could be a set of conditions that the designer feels that his @ her course plays best at.
The designer put the course together and says this is the optimum selection for my course.
So it could be a auto set-up with what the designer feels are the right pins and speed.
Could it be 1.05 or 1.06 conditions, who knows? only the designer knows until we play them. Thats my take on it.

I played in both custom conditions tournaments at Kapalua and Augusta. It does not take very long to get what the conditions are for course settings. Just practicing a few approach shots and a few putts and the conditions can be figured out. It's a little bit like showing up to a real course, you have to try some putts on the practice green to get the feel for the speed.

Thanks guys for the feedback, sounds ok to me... guess it means that when a competitive round has those settings it will require some time on the range to figure what the conditions are. I guess the caveat is designers should not get too extreme on real or fictional courses (fanatsy courses they can probably go nuts on!)

I do like the idea of playing a course in the conditions it was designed for!

I understand that a person who designs a course can do anything he wants with it, but I don't understand the designer set conditions concept. I don't know of a course in the world where the conditions remain the same, not even Augusta and that's probably the most meticulous course there is. I must be missing something so I'll keep reading the replies.

Achilles wrote:I understand that a person who designs a course can do anything he wants with it, but I don't understand the designer set conditions concept. I don't know of a course in the world where the conditions remain the same, not even Augusta and that's probably the most meticulous course there is. I must be missing something so I'll keep reading the replies.

When 1.07 is utilized, there will be 36 possible green condition combinations using Soft, Soft(Mod), Medium, Medium(MOD), Firm, Firm(MOD) and Slow, Slow(MOD), Moderate, Moderate(MOD), Fast, Fast(MOD). 6 firmness settings x 6 green speed settings = 36 possible combinations. Consider "Use course Properties" to be the 37th option. Not required to use, merely another option.

An example of how the "use course conditions" was put to good use was this years Masters tournament at OWGC. Andrew had tweaked the green textures on the '08 version of Augusta such that when "use course conditions" was used the greens putted with the same speed as if you were playing 0.07 firm(mod)/fast(mod) but weren't as "firm" and would hold approach shots more than the standard 0.07 firm(mod)/fast(mod) setting would.