The following is quoted from
NEWSFLASH: There will be a course converter! All the courses that are available now will still be useable with Links 2001. Here is what we have all been waiting for since yesterday. One of our own, David Cass of Links LS Highlights, has made it to E3 and come out with some information for us. I don't normally do this, but I feel this is such a compelling story, David mixes it up with, "...some of the guys most of us just read about at bubsnews i.e.: Steve ZoBell.", that I am putting David's entire write up here on the front page. I would like to take a moment to thank David for providing this. Remember, he only had 3 hours sleep after returning from E3. Here are his comments.
My story begins Tuesday night. I sent a letter to Steve Cherrier and Mark Hulka to see if either of them would be at E3. If they were, I wanted to try to get by there and meet them in person (I work less than 10 min from the LA Convention Center). Within 5 min. of that email (about 11:30PM) Steve replied that he would be there and gave me a URL to sign up. When I saw the price started at $200 just to get inside, I told him I would not be able to spend that money right now and joked that maybe I'd see him in the parking lot.
Steve then said that if they had an extra pass, he'd call me and hook me up. Being the pessimist I am - I didn't think anything would actually come of that offer, but thought it was a VERY nice gesture. Well - low and behold - Thursday afternoon I got a call from Steve who wanted to know when I would be there!! WOW!! An opportunity to meet some of the guys most of us just read about at bubsnews i.e.: Steve ZoBell.
Thursday night was a very restless night for me. Getting my haircut, buying some decent clothes, etc. etc. Hmmm - what will I say?... How will they treat me? ... Oh crap - its 3AM and I am wide awake still...
At last - Friday morning. I am supposed to meet Steve at noon. So I get there about 11AM, fork out $10 for a parking spot 2 miles from the Convention Center (the only lot that wasn't full). I call Steve Cherrier and set up a meeting place - ok, I will be there in 5 min...Three phone calls and one hour later - we cannot find each other. I'm thinking... dammit, I am going home. There is no way this guy is still looking for me. He must think I am an absolute IDIOT by now. Oh wait - there he is! Woohoo!!
At last - inside the door!! As I walk up on the Links booths, I see a guy sitting in front of a computer wearing an MS shirt and tinkering with the Course Architect. Peering over his shoulder, I see the name on the ID badge..."Steve ZoBell" - WOW, there he is... I just stand there and watch for a min. while he designs a bridge to go over the river he made. "Hey Steve, my name is David Cass..." Before I can explain I have a fan site, blah blah blah... he says, "Oh yeah, one of the fan site guys". Cool!! He knows of me. :-)
As I go around and introduce myself to everyone there, I cannot tell you people how NICE these guys are. They answered every question I asked. Never waffled! And put up with my endless stream of inquiries for the next 5 hours.
After getting a quick overview of the Course Designer, I couldn't wait to see the new engine, swing meter, etc. There were two sets of computers set up. Two with the course designer and three running the latest build of the game. So I sit in front of one with the game to see what I can see. The only course on this build is Chateau Whistler.
First - got to try moving the meter around - just because I can. You can move it anywhere on the screen. Neato!! Ok, aim...click. Now the first thing I notice is the swing meter seems a little slow to me. When I asked ZoBell about this (the swing meter is what he does), he asked if it was maybe an illusion. Could be - because at 12 and 6 the meter is about 1/3 as wide as it is at 9. You have all seen the screenshots by now. However, it still took me about 10 swings to get the timing down (I was snapping about 8 - very early).
Of course, while I am doing all this they are giving me the pitch... 6 courses (5 brand new ones including a fantasy course + St. Andrews done "correctly" - ZoBell's word), 15 animation's (I think it was 15...a lot anyway!). Arnold and Sergio, an LPGT player to be named later. No- Freddie Couple is not one of them.
About now, someone came up and wanted to ask ZoBell some questions for a radio interview so he had to leave. Then I asked one of the pressing questions..."So are there any left-handed animation's?" John Berven starts laughing..."You have to ask ZoBell about that. Go find him and ask him..." There he is, working on his bridge again. "Hey Steve, are any of the animation's lefty?" Everyone starts giggling...and he says, "Mark Hulka keeps asking me that too. Why?"
Well - I guess every time Mark sees the topic come up on the Suggestion Board he reminds ZoBell and it's a touchy subject with him (in a light-hearted sort of way). He tells me that if time permits, he will sit down and write the code to make one of the animation's a mirror image. See - before when the swing meter was "stuck" where it was, this was not possible. But now that it can be moved around the screen - it is. In my head I am picturing this "mirroring" and ask a follow-up. "So will the swing meter then be backwards too?" In other words - would it be on the 3:00 side, rather than the 9:00 side? To which I receive a chorus of "NO!" 's LOL!! I guess that is asking a little too much from the code.
Well - now that I have hit a snap or two, I end this game to see what else I can see. Back to the main screen. All the options we have come to love are still there...you can edit/change the sound scripts, etc. Next I go to "Players". I remember there being some discussion about PS, so I check that out... Yes, there is still Power Stroke. As you've probably heard, you can customize club distances for your golfer. i.e.: 1W = 250 - 275, 9I = 115 - 130, LW = 70 - 80, etc. Before you start your game, you can also pick pin difficulties from 1 = easy to 11 = difficult. Or custom set each hole separately.
So I set up another golfer and give it a few more whacks. A couple thinks frustrating about this being an incomplete version - not everything works. However, I keep noticing stuff I got to ask about. On the post shot selection, I notice "Pick up the ball". This is something new that I haven't heard mentioned yet. If you are hopelessly lost in a forest, for example, you can click this and move to the next tee. However - you are automatically given a 12 for the hole. I remember when I first started with LS98...12 was a good score for one hole. LOL
Also - there is a green analyzer. At anytime (i.e.: on the tee or before your approach), you can check out a VERY detailed view of the green. This is one of the things now working, but John was explaining how it would work. It sounds like a great tool, especially if you're playing with no grids!!!
The right-click quick mulligan is still there. Plus they've added a middle click feature (if you don't have a three button mouse, you still have time to get one). Clicking the middle button will bring up the club selection/shot setup screen. Another cool addition I haven't heard about yet.
I am not really paying attention to how well I am doing in the game - but I nearly put one in on a par three. Landed 5 inches away - I even saved it (don't ask me why). If I only could remember the address of that Highlights web...LOL.
And now - the question no one cares about but me (since I am the one who brought it to Mark's attention in the first place). I click the " GIMME " ! ! ! LMAO - How that got by them for so many years??? John also took a guess at minimum requirements... for Links01: 300mhz and 64MB. Hopefully the same for the Course Designer, but there might be two sets of requirements. The Course Designer may have higher requirements, especially the video card.
Ok - enough of this, I got to go see more of that course designer!! ZoBell keeps getting pulled away (Dammit media people, leave him alone. You're not going to buy this anyway - I am! hehe) so I get Mark Mcarthur (with Mark Hulka, he's the co-creator of our beloved LSTour) to show me..."Starting from scratch". This is very cool. I predict this will be the nail in the coffin for MANY marriages. I can see sitting there for 6 hours/day for 6 months creating you own little masterpiece! This thing is AWESOME!!!! Besides everything you get with it, you can import more graphics (trees, buildings, etc) and textures.
I cannot begin to explain this part and have it make sense. But sitting there watching these guys playing with it - I can just tell it is a terrific tool!! The possibilities seem endless!!!
I don't want to forget to mention Dave Curtain either. Like I said, everyone was so nice and took the time to show me everything I asked about (until someone needed another interview - damn media people). It was fun hanging out, giving my opinion and having them right there to listen to me. I think they liked having someone there from the LS Community too. Individually - each one of them indicated how much the appreciate having us here.
Like I said in my earlier e-mail George - they seem very genuine in their appreciation of fan sites such as ours. I only wish you could have been there too! It was a lot of fun, very informative, and very rewarding!
I especially want to thank Steve Cherrier again for getting me in the door (and for waiting so long outside of it). Unfortunately, Mark Hulka and Bruce Darby were not able to make it - so I will have to wait and meet them next time.
I cannot wait until this game's released! I think it was John who indicated it would be a holiday release. A little later than the first week in October which was LS2k. "Probably November" for Links01.
OOPS - did I almost forget something? ;-) The subject of course compatibility did come up. Actually - it was the second question I asked. (I was bent on not making it the first.)
Guess what...you can all calm down...I asked each guy this question and they all said the same thing. There will be a course converter. They are still working on how. Either, 1) It will be in the box with Links01 (but if it's not ready in time...) 2) It will be distributed separately within a few weeks after Links01 is released. OR 3) It will be available as a download - if its not too big. ZoBell did not go into any other detail, other than it would not be like the previous converter, where it asked for the disk and installed off the CD.
ZoBell also added that the LS courses we have now, "will NOT be compatible with MS Golf 01", even thought it looks so similiar to LS2k.
Well - that's about it, until I remember the rest... :-)
Sorry if I rambled - but I did not want to leave anything out. It was all I expected - and more!! I just hope you get the sense I am excited, because I am...
David Cass ("DavidCa_ss" in the Zone)
Links LS Highlights
"Gimme your best shot!"
Again, thank you very much David.
