HB Studios Next-Gen golf game: The Golf Club

[Danimal]

I was just going to ask because it seems like JC and Divot were beta guys. How does this set up for a DSP tour like we use to have, or for maybe a weekly league type thing?

Too bad it's not cross platform compatible for that stuff.

[DivotMaker]

I was just going to ask because it seems like JC and Divot were beta guys. How does this set up for a DSP tour like we use to have, or for maybe a weekly league type thing?

Too bad it's not cross platform compatible for that stuff.

Yep, JC and I both were Betas....too bad Merace did not make it as he did not get a capable machine until after beta signup.


PC here, then Xbox One once Scorpio is released.

[TheTruth]

I was just going to ask because it seems like JC and Divot were beta guys. How does this set up for a DSP tour like we use to have, or for maybe a weekly league type thing?

Too bad it's not cross platform compatible for that stuff.

Yep, JC and I both were Betas....too bad Merace did not make it as he did not get a capable machine until after beta signup.


PC here, then Xbox One once Scorpio is released.

Xbox One and Scorpio here as well. No cross platform even between Windows and Xbox?

[Diablo25]

Can't wait to be released from the NDA.....

And when might that be!?

[Diablo25]

Les get the DSP society going. Miss golfing with you boys.

Co signed

[DivotMaker]

Can't wait to be released from the NDA.....

And when might that be!?

No idea.....likely in the next couple of weeks, but don't hold me to that please.

[J_Cauthen]

Xbox One and Scorpio here as well. No cross platform even between Windows and Xbox?

Nope, unfortunately that won't be the case. I would have loved to have seen it myself.

[J_Cauthen]

I was just going to ask because it seems like JC and Divot were beta guys. How does this set up for a DSP tour like we use to have, or for maybe a weekly league type thing?

Too bad it's not cross platform compatible for that stuff.

Each platform will have its own exclusive Societies, but I don't think that' s huge surprise to most. I was hoping to see cross platform play at least between XBox One and Windows 10 players, but it wasn't a priority for HBS.

Societies would lend themselves very well to what we used to do in the DSP Tour, as that was platform exclusive also. I think they will offer even more flexibility to what Country Clubs offered in TW.

The biggest question mark I have about the console versions right now is what I consider to be a disturbing conservative response I heard to a question about console version frame rates during the official stream this week. Shaun West was asked what the target frame rates were for the console versions. He replied, "we should see 30 FPS on the consoles". One of the other producers in the stream (Brett) chimed in and said "absolutely!"

I'm now used to playing TGC 2 at 60 FPS+ on my PC, which is just a slightly better than average gaming PC. It would be hard for me to step down to 30 FPS at this point, and I'm worried about what effect that would have on the tempo component of the swing interface. I'm hoping Shaun was being uber-conservative when he said 'we should see 30 FPS". While they have confirmed that the XBox One version will be displayed at 1080p, I think concern that it might have trouble sustaining even a paltry 30 FPS is a bit disturbing.

The comment about the console frame rates caught me so off guard because the frame rate is remarkably better on the PC. All three versions are created in Unity, so I have trouble seeing how whatever was done with the PC version can't translate into better frame rates with the console versions?

[vader29]

Day One Edition available for preorder and predownload for 39.99 on Xbox One, 4.7 GB download.

[J_Cauthen]

Day One Edition available for preorder and predownload for 39.99 on Xbox One, 4.7 GB download.

Yep, the PS4 Day One Edition is also available for preorder @ $39.99. If you're an Amazon Prime customer, you can preorder the Day One Edition of either, for $31.99, but those would be the disk versions. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the console versions see the sort of frame rate improvement I'm seeing on the PC. I was averaging maybe 43 to 45 FPS on the PC version of TGC 1. Now I'm seeing 60 to 70 FPS, at comparable graphics settings on the PC!

You guys are not going to believe how much deeper this new swing interface is... it is beyond description! I hope they get it right on the consoles as they have the PC version, but I believe they will since all versions were made with Unity 5.3.

[Diablo25]

Day One Edition available for preorder and predownload for 39.99 on Xbox One, 4.7 GB download.

Good looking out Vader! I was looking this the other day and couldn't find it.

Cannot wait J!

[MERACE]

You guys are not going to believe how much deeper this new swing interface is... it is beyond description! I hope they get it right on the consoles as they have the PC version, but I believe they will since all versions were made with Unity 5.3.

I'm hoping the swing is the same on the PS4 version as you say it is on the PC version. We don't want another repeat of "Swing Gate" from TGC1.

I'm also hoping that HBS were able to take advantage of the enhancements in Unity 5.6 since they have the source code to Unity.


-MERACE

[J_Cauthen]

You guys are not going to believe how much deeper this new swing interface is... it is beyond description! I hope they get it right on the consoles as they have the PC version, but I believe they will since all versions were made with Unity 5.3.

I'm hoping the swing is the same on the PS4 version as you say it is on the PC version. We don't want another repeat of "Swing Gate" from TGC1.

I'm also hoping that HBS were able to take advantage of the enhancements in Unity 5.6 since they have the source code to Unity.


-MERACE

I'm not sure what enhancements they're taking advantage of from Unity 5.6. I do know that their custom version is based on Unity 5.3, but that's all I can say about it at this time We don't want another Swing Gate for sure. I don't think we're going to know a whole lot more about the console versions until E3. I just hope some of the media covering it have a clue about golf gaming and are able to get their hands on the console versions to give a solid report on how well the new swing interface works on the consoles.

[pk500]

Pre-ordered the disc version today from Best Buy, along with DIRT 4. Can't beat gift cards from trade-ins and Gamers Club Unlocked -- superb weapons for cheap bastards like me.

[J_Cauthen]

Pre-ordered the disc version today from Best Buy, along with DIRT 4. Can't beat gift cards from trade-ins and Gamers Club Unlocked -- superb weapons for cheap bastards like me.

At least you'll have three weeks of seat time with Dirt 4 before The Golf Club 2 comes out. Lots of quality gaming time ahead with those two in your library, I'd say! I'm going to be very curious to see how people go between the Player and Tour club option in this game. There was a lot of debate about this among the beta testers and the more I played each, the less of an idea I have as to which will be the more common choice. When the beta ended yesterday, I had just played one round with Tour clubs, and two rounds with Player clubs. I went 78, with Tour and 70 - 72, with Player. What makes it so tough is I enjoyed all three rounds equally... I think it's a nice problem to have!

[10spro]

Those scores are not too shabby with either clubs, John. Very realistic in fact. Wasn't aware there was that choice, do they give you both options right away or you have to earn the Tour clubs by completing challenges etc?

Pre-ordered the Xbox 1 version via store, I hope it doesn't chuggle frame rate wise as it did originally with the first game (got slightly better with the patch). I own the original game in both consoles and the PS4 was better.

[J_Cauthen]

Those scores are not too shabby with either clubs, John. Very realistic in fact. Wasn't aware there was that choice, do they give you both options right away or you have to earn the Tour clubs by completing challenges etc?

There are three options available to you right out of the gate in the player creation menu: Standard clubs (Driver carry 240 yards), Player (265 yards), and Tour (279 yards). It's almost impossible to hit a really off target shot with Standard clubs, with Player clubs I'm like 58% FIRs and 60% GIRs, and my misses are very believable and consistent with what I felt via the thumbstick, Tour clubs I'm under 50% FIRs, and probably right at 50% GIRs. I can hit duck hooks and banana slices with Tour clubs in the same round as I'm trying to work things out.

The Standard clubs don't have enough carry to give you much a scoring chance on most courses. I could go out and shoot par on most courses with them, but it's hard to make birdies with them. They're also not dynamic enough to provide any vicarious thrill of hitting a good shot. I can see them being a good starting choice for a n00b, and eventually making them want to seek a harder challenge.

I'm finding it very difficult trying to convey how much deeper the new swing mechanic makes the game. You truly have to think about your tempo on the backswing and downswing if you want to hit the desired distance and direction. You can swing the club too hard and lose distance. A number of times, I'll hit a tee shot with the driver that stays well withing the swing cone, yet my tempo is perfect/fast (backswing /downswing). The ball is going to draw to the left if you were perfect on your swing path. It will hook left if you had say a 4 degree inside/out swing path. It's really cool to see it all play out as it doesn't feel contrived.

Pre-ordered the Xbox 1 version via store, I hope it doesn't chuggle frame rate wise as it did originally with the first game (got slightly better with the patch). I own the original game in both consoles and the PS4 was better.

HB Studios hasn't been very forthcoming with information on the console versions, other than to confirm that the XBox One version will be displayed at 1080p. OTOH, I see no reason why the tremendous performance gains (25 to 35%) I've seen on my PC with the beta, won't translate to similar performance gains on the XBox One. They were both developed using the same custom Unity 5.3 engine, they both use DirectX 11/12, and are both built with Windows 10 in mind. I would love to see TGC 2 eventually become cross playable between Windows 10 and XBox One, but that's probably a bit of a pie in the sky dream right now.

[Diablo25]

I also preordered the Xbox One version via the store last night. Really excited to get after it.

[Danimal]

PC version for me, with my new Rig doesn't make sense not too

[J_Cauthen]

PC version for me, with my new Rig doesn't make sense not too

Based on my experience with the beta on my PC, that's a safe bet. The performance gains surpassed all expectations for me in TGC 2, over TGC 1. The beta ended two days ago, and yesterday I tried playing Jack Nicklaus Perfect Golf (PC), Rory McIlroy PGA Tour (PS4), and finally The Golf Club (PC). In comparison, they all felt so shallow in the swing interface and ball physics department.

JNPG comes closest in the swing interface department, but the integration between the stick movement and the primitive looking and awkwardly animated golfer doesn't being to compare to the quality of TGC 2. The ball physics also take a back seat to TGC 2.

RMPGAT is graphically the best of the four, but the twitch/flick, dial-a-distance swing interface and inconsistent ball physics make it the least fun to play by a long shot. It is easily the most disappointing game I've played in the current gen.

The Golf Club 1 still plays solidly, but having played the beta of TGC 2, the missing variables in the swing interface are so obvious that it makes the game feel so one dimensional. TGC 1's 'ice rink' physics also take a back seat to the vastly improved ball physics of TGC 2.

I did enjoy seeing The CLV's (Craig LeVasseur) newest course, The Old Course at St. Andrews as I played it last night though. It' easily the most authentic looking version of the course I've every played! I can't wait to see it get translated to TGC 2!

[DivotMaker]

PC version for me, with my new Rig doesn't make sense not too

Good call.

Performance in beta was outstanding with my PC....

i7 7700k
GTX 1080 Ti
Win 10 Pro
HP Omen 32" 2560x1440

[J_Cauthen]

Danimal, after reading Tim's post, I should have posted my system specs to give you a better idea of what I'm getting out of what is a fairly modest one:

Intel Core i5-4440 3.1 GHz
Geforce GTX 1060 3 GB SC Gaming, ACX 2.0
8GB PC-1600 DDR3 RAM
Windows 10 64 bit

I'm getting 60 to 70 FPS on most courses with it in TGC 2. I don't have the graphics settings maxed out, but I'm probably about 80 to 85% of being maxed out. I know it looks dang good at the settings I use, and I have to be paying attention to things off the distance to notice anything beyond what I'm using now.

I can still bring it down into the low 30s with severe AA and AF settings, but the image enhancement gains are nearly enough to offset the game performance from 60 to 30 FPS to acheive it. I run 2X-MSAA and 8X-AF in my NVIDIA control panel.

[Naples39]

PC version for me, with my new Rig doesn't make sense not too

Based on my experience with the beta on my PC, that's a safe bet. The performance gains surpassed all expectations for me in TGC 2, over TGC 1. The beta ended two days ago, and yesterday I tried playing Jack Nicklaus Perfect Golf (PC), Rory McIlroy PGA Tour (PS4), and finally The Golf Club (PC). In comparison, they all felt so shallow in the swing interface and ball physics department.

JNPG comes closest in the swing interface department, but the integration between the stick movement and the primitive looking and awkwardly animated golfer doesn't being to compare to the quality of TGC 2. The ball physics also take a back seat to TGC 2.

RMPGAT is graphically the best of the four, but the twitch/flick, dial-a-distance swing interface and inconsistent ball physics make it the least fun to play by a long shot. It is easily the most disappointing game I've played in the current gen.

The Golf Club 1 still plays solidly, but having played the beta of TGC 2, the missing variables in the swing interface are so obvious that it makes the game feel so one dimensional. TGC 1's 'ice rink' physics also take a back seat to the vastly improved ball physics of TGC 2.

I did enjoy seeing The CLV's (Craig LeVasseur) newest course, The Old Course at St. Andrews as I played it last night though. It' easily the most authentic looking version of the course I've every played! I can't wait to see it get translated to TGC 2!

Interesting thoughts on comparing the available golf games. I find JNPG pretty good and haven't played TGC1 in a long time, as mostly I just want to play a variety of real courses with deep and reward swing/ball physics at a decent pace. TGC 1 always felt a bit stiff on the swing and ball physics.

Sounds like TGC 2 will be worth a look for me!

[J_Cauthen]

Interesting thoughts on comparing the available golf games. I find JNPG pretty good and haven't played TGC1 in a long time, as mostly I just want to play a variety of real courses with deep and reward swing/ball physics at a decent pace. TGC 1 always felt a bit stiff on the swing and ball physics.

Sounds like TGC 2 will be worth a look for me!

I'm now back to playing JNPG, now that the beta on TGC 2 has ended. It's a good game, but it's swing interface, ball physics, and tired golfer animation can't compare to TGC 2. I think the Windows 10/XBox One version of JNPG will put JNPG back the hunt, but honestly, it feels and looks a bit primitive after playing TGC 2!

TGC 2 has as fluid and dynamic a swing interface as I've ever played, and the ball physics have clearly gone to the next level!

[Diablo25]

Interesting thoughts on comparing the available golf games. I find JNPG pretty good and haven't played TGC1 in a long time, as mostly I just want to play a variety of real courses with deep and reward swing/ball physics at a decent pace. TGC 1 always felt a bit stiff on the swing and ball physics.

Sounds like TGC 2 will be worth a look for me!

I'm now back to playing JNPG, now that the beta on TGC 2 has ended. It's a good game, but it's swing interface, ball physics, and tired golfer animation can't compare to TGC 2. I think the Windows 10/XBox One version of JNPG will put JNPG back the hunt, but honestly, it feels and looks a bit primitive after playing TGC 2!

TGC 2 has as fluid and dynamic a swing interface as I've ever played, and the ball physics have clearly gone to the next level!