Pro Golf --(16 K 2600 ASM) Completed

[easmith]

Full 18 Holes now added.

 

Also, I realized that the wind effect was being bypassed altogether.

So now I activated wind , but it is only active in P0 Diff A.

Wind works like this:

if the wind is E 9 , then the target you set should be nine units to the left of where you want the ball to go ( the greens are 16 units wide for reference).

Wind does not affect Wedge shots

 

Of course, other factors affect your shot location , such as shot strength and slice/ hook effect, and ball lie ( sand and trees cause your shot to travel less distance) . So the shot might still not go where you think it should!

 

 

Some general hints :

 

1. 

If moving the target just slightly selects a stronger club, then use the stronger club.  You will have a better chance of reaching your target .  The distance calculation / club selection is not perfect , but is pretty close .

 

2. Putt a little harder than you would think you need to , but you will bet the feel after a while.  Think of a 10 ft put or higher needing full strength.

 

For putts over 2 ft , you need to press the button at the end of the putt just like regular shot or you will pull the putt left.

 

3. For putts of 1 ft (gimmes)  , you can just pull back and left it go and you will make putt except for a random miss every now and then .

 

The game takes practice but I think with practice it is not too frustrating but not too easy either.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 13, 2019 by easmith
there is a bug in scoring . net score ( even or over par is showing up as Hex). The total strokes is accurate I believe at end of game. Par is 70 so for now you can do the math if your net over or under is more than 15

[easmith]

Ok, I watched the ZeroPage youtube episode.  

 

I have added the delay to where you don't accidentally set the target immediately after putting.

 

Also, for the target, it is now the pin itself.   So the default target is the pin.   You can move the pin to set the target to adjust for wind , or just to maximize chances of landing on the green.

 

The pin will rest after target is set with button.  even if you don't move the target, you still need to press the press the button to set it.

This was really bugging me before where you could not see target.   I thought about putting a hole in the green so that you can still see where the hole is , but this does not look good since the green is 2x wide and the hole looks too wide.  Also complicates green detection  So I think it is easy enough to remember where the pin was .

 

Also, wind was affecting the wedge shots, and now it does not ( as intended) .

 

What I am curious to know now is if the game is too easy, especially with the target setting easier .  

 

The penalties for mistiming your swing, and the wind effect ( in difficulty A only)  can be adjusted .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 15, 2019 by easmith
posted wrong file now correct

[easmith]

Fixed scoring issue now.

 

I think I am pretty happy with game play at this point after only 2 weeks ! . Made some adjustments to putting ( a little harder now ) .

Must press button unless distance is 1 or 0.'

 

 

 

I have attached updated instructions. But am including them here also .  Enjoy!

************************************************************************************************************************

1.  Press Fire to set target.  The default target is the pin. Moving joystick will move the pin which shows your new target.  Press the button to set target .
The pin will reset to the hole and The blue dot ( or yellow) marks  your target.  The bottom left  number is the club for the distance:

- -   out of range ( can't shoot).

D  Driver

5   5 Iron

7   7 Iron

9  9 Iron

W Wedge

P  Putter

Tips:
 

1.  Takes practice to get a feel for putting. But the rule of max strength = distance 10 works pretty well .

2.  If moving the target just a little selects  a more powerful club ( lower number) , then select more powerful club.

3.  Except when putting, always use max shot strength , since you are trying to hot your preset target which = max strength.

4.  Wind does not affect Wedge shots
 
Off Green Controls:

1. 

  The shot will attempt to  hit the target , but is affected by wind ( bottom Right number) , and how your shot timing is executed.
Wind is only on in P0 difficulty A.  
(For reference, ->9 means the wind is blowing right 9 . So aim 9 to left of intended target. The greens are about 16 units wide.
The course view playfield is 50 spaces vertically . So wind blowing up 9 , move target down about 1/5 way. You will get feel for
how much to adjust with practice.
Of course the other factors affecting your shot ( timing) will complicate the result. 

2.  To  swing, 

pull down on Joystick.  This will activate the shot strength meter .  
You want to achieve maximum strength on the meter always ( this is to the target you have set ).

 
Push up on the joystick to begin downswing ( you want to do this when the strength meter is exactly at max ( or just below ) .  
Too little strength will cause a short shot.

Push button to finish swing when the meter  is exactly at 0.  Too early ( slice to right ) or too late ( hook to left ) .
(If your ball is higher than target this is reversed )

So shot mechanic is down - up - button.

Avoid Water Hazard ( 1 stroke penalty). If ball lie is in trees or sand , this will have the affect of causing your shot
to travel a bit shorter than usual .

ON the green.

1. Putting is same as swing ( down - up - button) . The bottom right number is distance to pin.  
 Think of the maximum shot strength = distance 10 or higher. 
 So for a put of distance 6 , let the strength meter get about 70% .  

Button must be pressed at end unless distance is 1 or 0.

Pressing button too soon will pull the putt right and too late will cause the putt to miss left.

It is possible to over putt ( too hard) so that the putt rolls over the hole.

On tee ,  Top row numbers are left: current net score ( over par = black, under par = red)  and right :current hole.
After tee shot, top row is left: current hole score and right : par for current hole.

Bottom row are club and Wind ( distance to pin if on green) 

 

 

CGolfbetaBETA.bin ChampionshipGolfReadMe.txt

Edited July 15, 2019 by easmith
fixed typos

[easmith]

Almost have a 2 player option finished . Working out some bugs . 

Hope to have something up in the next day or 2.  

 

Turns out to be a lot more complicated than 1 player . 

 

The scheme will honor normal golf rules where farthest from hole shoots , but  no one putts until both players are on the green . 

 

It would have bugged me later not  to have a head to head option ....., even though I don’t have anyone to play against . ?

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

55 minutes ago, easmith said:

Almost have a 2 player option finished . Working out some bugs . 

Hope to have something up in the next day or 2. 

 

Nice!! I was hoping you'd be able to add the two player option into the game!! Hooray!!

[atarifan88]

The screen shot reminds me of an M-network sports game.  Can't wait to try it!

[easmith]

Head to Head version.

 

at start of game set right difficulty to A to engage  2 player mode.

 

instructions modified also.

 

A few minor issues to tweak, but I think this is a pretty complete game at this point.   I know it does not have a title screen , but I am ok with it that way .

here is  1 player play through

 

 

 

 

Edited July 21, 2019 by easmith

[MissCommand]

Congratulations and wow... quite a monumental achievement! This is the golf game the 2600 was waiting for all these years... now I have to find someone to go head to head with on the two-player option. ?

[easmith]

Added an intro screen.   

 

Changed name to "Pro Golf" . Championship Golf is too long a title ! 

 

 

 

 

GolfReadMe.txt

 

Edited July 23, 2019 by easmith

[easmith]

There is still one bug that is not fixed , when you chip in in 2 player mode it is crashing.

 

Otherwise bug free

Edited July 21, 2019 by easmith
might have fixed it

[easmith]

I am  fairly sure the chip in bug is now fixed . 

 

 

Edited August 2, 2019 by easmith

[easmith]

I believe I am going to call this one finished  . 

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

1 hour ago, easmith said:

I believe I am going to call this one finished  . 

Good stuff! I've got it schedule for our August 2nd stream of ZPH. Looking forward to playing the finished version!

[TrekMD]

That is awesome!  This game looks and plays very well.  Nicely done!

[+Yurkie]

Your game looks absolutely awesome aside from the fact that the putting green is white. Any chance you might change trees to brown and the putting green to green

[easmith]

On 7/30/2019 at 8:00 PM, Yurkie said:

Your game looks absolutely awesome aside from the fact that the putting green is white. Any chance you might change trees to brown and the putting green to green

Here is a version with what you suggested.  This also makes the ball green , which to me looks worse than white ball.  But I am curious which version people prefer.

 

 

 

Edited August 5, 2019 by easmith

[easmith]

On 7/30/2019 at 8:00 PM, Yurkie said:

Your game looks absolutely awesome aside from the fact that the putting green is white. Any chance you might change trees to brown and the putting green to green

Here  is yet a third option.  Perhaps this is the best .  let me know what you think 

 

Edited August 5, 2019 by easmith

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

1 minute ago, easmith said:

Here  is yet a third option.  Perhaps this is the best .  let me know what you think 

golfgreen.bin 16 kB · 0 downloads

This is DEFINITELY the best option, the brown trees looked either like mud pits or that they were all dead. I didn't think it would work with three different shades of green but it totally does. This is by far the best version!

 

Looking forward to playing it on ZPH on Friday!

[easmith]

On 7/31/2019 at 6:23 PM, ZeroPage Homebrew said:

This is DEFINITELY the best option, the brown trees looked either like mud pits or that they were all dead. I didn't think it would work with three different shades of green but it totally does. This is by far the best version!

 

Looking forward to playing it on ZPH on Friday!

One more tweak that shows some detail when on green

 

 

 

Edited August 5, 2019 by easmith

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

We'll be featuring the updated WIP version of Pro Golf LIVE on tomorrow's (Friday) ZeroPage Homebrew stream on Twitch at 6PM PT | 9PM ET | 1AM GMT! Hope everyone can watch!

 

Twitch Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/zeropagehomebrew/

Games:
- Pro Golf (2019 WIP Update) by Edward Smith aka easmith
- Mardi Gras! (2019 WIP) by Ross Adkin and Brian Matherne aka TidusRenegade and Arenafoot
- Pitfall! (1982 Patch Challenge) by David Crane

 

[easmith]

On 8/1/2019 at 2:57 PM, ZeroPage Homebrew said:

We'll be featuring the updated WIP version of Pro Golf LIVE on tomorrow's (Friday) ZeroPage Homebrew stream on Twitch at 6PM PT | 9PM ET | 1AM GMT! Hope everyone can watch!

 

Twitch Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/zeropagehomebrew/

Games:
- Pro Golf (2019 WIP Update) by Edward Smith aka easmith
- Mardi Gras! (2019 WIP) by Ross Adkin and Brian Matherne aka TidusRenegade and Arenafoot
- Pitfall! (1982 Patch Challenge) by David Crane

 

Thanks for the feedback.  What I missed live last night I watched this morning.

Most of it comes down to needing to explain things a bit better in the instructions.

And there are limitations to 2600 and to my ability , so it can't  be perfect !

I can routinely score 10 under par . So practice and understanding the mechanics/ errors/ wind is what matters.

 

Answers to some questions:

 

Hole Indicator on green :

There is no way to mark the hole on the green while you are moving the pin to set the target . The only object free is M1, which would not show up over green which is P0, regardless of priority .  Could change active ball to M1  and  use M0 for marker and use P1 for green while setting target , but this is too much effort for the payoff.  The green is small, You just need to remember where the pin was while you are setting the target . The pin resets to original position and hole is at bottom of pin.

 

The other option is to leave a gap in the green where the hole is , but this does not look good since the green is wide x2. So the hole is too big and it looks bad.

 

Wind:    

The Wind is based on the TOP OVERHEAD VIEW, not the first person view.   I can see now how this could be confusing, especially since the wind indicator is below the first person perspective. But I just need to make this more clear in the directions.

When you are not putting, the bottom first person view is for cosmetics only. 

 

I changed the wind display to always read 0 if you are using wedge. This way you do not have to remember that is does not apply to wedge.

 

Trees:

 

Ball travels over the trees.  The affect of the ball being in the trees ( or sand) is that your shot from these lies will not travel quite as far as normal. This is in the instructions.

This is not based on hitting trees, but is more like being in the rough vs fairway.  So essentially the trees are just the rough. You cannot hit a tree.

 

Ball Color:

Ball has to be same color as green.   So if you can't see your ball it's on  the green ( or in trees) .

 

Numbers at top:

Explained in instructions

 

Shooting "past maximum " :

 

I thought about this a lot while designing game .  A few of the errors might seem counter -intuitive.

If you slice, the ball will go right of target , or left of target if you are above target .

If you hook, the ball will go left of target , or right of target if you are above target .

So, if your ball is to the left of target , and you hit max strength, and you slice the ball , it can travel to the right of the target .

Opposite for slice.  So this will look like you  are shooting beyond your max distance.

 

If you underhit the ball , the ball will go below target , or above target if you are higher than target .

The problem comes in as follows:

 

Let's say you are below the pin and just slightly to the left . Then an underhit should penalize you below the target , and a slice should penalize you right of target .

But what if the pin is 45  degrees NE of your ball.  Ideally , a slice should penalize you SE  of target and an underhit should penalize you SW of target.

What if pin is 3 degrees NE  of ball.  Then an underhit should penalize left and a slice down from target.  But how to distinguish between these three cases ?

In all cases ballx <  pinx and bally < piny.   I can maybe figure out a way to make this better .......  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 3, 2019 by easmith

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Many thanks for playing my Pitfall!x256 hack. I am glad that you both managed the "impossible" pits.

 

BTW: That was the advanced version, chosen by left difficulty = A, the normal version plays like normal Pitfall! just with different mazes.

Edited August 3, 2019 by Thomas Jentzsch

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

1 hour ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:

Many thanks for playing my Pitfall!x256 hack. I am glad that you both managed the "impossible" pits.

 

BTW: That was the advanced version, chosen by left difficulty = A, the normal version plays like normal Pitfall! just with different mazes.

Thank you for making it Thomas! I ran across your hack in my searches for Pitfall related information. I'm actually glad that the difficulty switches were accidentely left on from Pro Golf so we could both try to get across those fast moving pits.

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

1 hour ago, easmith said:

Thanks for the feedback.  What I missed live last night I watched this morning.

Most of it comes down to needing to explain things a bit better in the instructions.

And there are limitations to 2600 and to my ability , so it can't  be perfect !

I can routinely score 10 under par . So practice and understanding the mechanics/ errors/ wind is what matters.

 

Answers to some questions:

Thank you so much for the great golf game Edward! We were definitely getting better as time went onward, a lot more practice on our part will help.

[easmith]

Ok, I made a few last edits  based on the feedback .  I think this is as good as I can get it.  

I also made an overhead map and a scorecard .   I hope to have some  carts produced by October for PRGE .  First run will be made by Good Deal Games.

 

 

score card.pdf coursemap.pdf

Edited August 24, 2019 by easmith