286 replies to this topic

[M Rose]

If you released CF to the public right this very moment, at least the version that I have, I don't believe it would go very smoothly. There would have to be an absolutely foolproof set of clear, concise instructions and settings available to everyone.

 

There would instantly be 200 people complaining that they don't know where to start. There would be another 200 going "Unity? what's Unity? I didn't buy any such thing called Unity!?"

 

And yes, there is a decided lack of vegetation available as well, at least in the beta I have. I assume that is going to be addressed, but right now, there's not much available in terms of trees, bushes, flowers, buildings, etc. Most 3D work is DIY. I've managed to learn how to make some great tee markers but not much else.

 

All of this would unleash another round of "why did you release an unfinished product" and a rash of negative steam reviews and it would be a PR nightmare for Mike and Andrew.

 

I don't say this to scare anybody or imply that it takes some kind of superhuman level of intelligence to operate this program, because it does not.... but in order for it to work, you have to have it set up properly, with correct terrain and lighting settings. You have to set water hazards up correctly. There are hard and fast rules that need to be understood and followed, and a true beginner who has never seen the program before will get lost very easily without good, proper instruction up front.

 

On our testing forum there are about 20-30 tutorials made by Mike. I have had to read them all multiple times, some even 5-6-7 times, some I go back and read now even after releasing four courses.

 

The program allows you to do a lot of work in very short periods of time and has been a godsend when compared to the extremely tedious and bulky APCD, but it does take some personal investment in time and education up front before you can be prolific with it.

 

So I offer this as a cautionary tale.... be careful what you wish for. And yes, I do think it should come out soon. Very soon. But I would absolutely not release it without very, very good instructions and some basic Unity settings and instructions as well, otherwise it'll be a non-starter for some.

[Dazmaniac]

I can't wait for the folks to complain about CF, when the actual problem they will be having will be with Unity itself, lol.

[nightowl]

Again, it is a public beta.  Hopefully, that will curb some of the "why did you release an unfinished product" complaints.  All I hear is dire warnings from people.  Can you seriously not contemplate at least some positive outcomes of releasing the CF public beta?

[Legerejeff]

Elitist Matt.... It is extremely easy for you to curb the voices for an open beta. If you where left in the shadows like the rest of us you might have a very different opion. Clearly CF is close to being ready based on some of the work you and other have achieved. What is more irritating then waiting for CF to come out is the utter lack of information provided to the community. Frankly the fact that CF is still in a closed beta is BS. All I hear is reason why it shouldn't be opened to the public. Well that doesn't mean much coming from elitist.

[Richard]

Elitist Matt.... It is extremely easy for you to curb the voices for an open beta. If you where left in the shadows like the rest of us you might have a very different opion. Clearly CF is close to being ready based on some of the work you and other have achieved. What is more irritating then waiting for CF to come out is the utter lack of information provided to the community. Frankly the fact that CF is still in a closed beta is BS. All I hear is reason why it shouldn't be opened to the public. Well that doesn't mean much coming from elitist.

 

Well, once you get it, then you better not bitch about it. (Like that's going to happen!!)

[Legerejeff]

Again, it is a public beta.  Hopefully, that will curb some of the "why did you release an unfinished product" complaints.  All I hear is dire warnings from people.  Can you seriously not contemplate at least some positive outcomes of releasing the CF public beta?

Could not have said it better!

[zmax - sim]

Again, it is a public beta.  Hopefully, that will curb some of the "why did you release an unfinished product" complaints.  All I hear is dire warnings from people.  Can you seriously not contemplate at least some positive outcomes of releasing the CF public beta?

 

Have you read any of the posts in these forums....lol

 

Lots of people bitching about anything and everything.

[ArcadeHack]

I can't wait for the folks to complain about CF, when the actual problem they will be having will be with Unity itself, lol.

 

 Just think of the users that have older machines that barley run PG as it is now. Unity will not be kind to them.

[M Rose]

I don't benefit at all from the game remaining in beta.... as I've said here and elsewhere, my version is not up to date and lacks many features that the public release will have. So I want it out just as much as anyone else does.

 

I only express concern that Course Forge will cause a lot of headaches for everyone if there aren't clear instructions for how to use it, and that also includes Unity. You can't just open Unity and build a course; you have to import CF into it, you have to set up a terrain; you have to import the plants and trees; you have to set up correct lighting, and such. So my guess is some of the delay may be because this is all still being written. And I know that that will turn a lot of people off right away, because that part of it is frustrating. I think the devs just want to make sure the novice user has a positive experience right away. Right now, there isn't anything to go by other than a series of tutorials, which are helpful but there are a lot of basic things they don't touch on.

 

It's okay to be impatient about it, but complaining and calling people elitists isn't going to help your cause a whole lot.

[Dazmaniac]

I wonder how many budding designers who are clamouring for CF, have actually already downloaded Unity and tried it out?

I know there are some, as we've seen pics, but I'm sure there are still some out there that think CF is a stand alone course designer, like APCD was.

[Dazmaniac]

.

[theclubpro]

I wonder how many budding designers who are clamouring for CF, have actually already downloaded Unity and tried it out?

I know there are some, as we've seen pics, but I'm sure there are still some out there that think CF is a stand alone course designer, like APCD was.

I downloaded unity a few days ago.wanted to try and see if I can start doing anything with my home course where I'm a member.after I downloaded it ,I couldn't get no farther.lol..I couldn't figure out how to even start to make a course..I looked at a few videos on YouTube but that didn't help...if there are a few videos on here or YouTube showing how to start would be helpful..please post link if they are around..I got a feeling there is going to be a big learning curve and the forum is going to be over run with ?'s...

[Dazmaniac]

As CF basically overlays the textures on to your terrain and allows you to plant tees, pins, hazards etc. some of the best YT videos to watch are the standard Unity tutorials for making/sculpting terrain. Especially useful if you are making fictional courses.

Terrain Forge will be a big asset for real courses as it allows LIDAR height maps to be loaded in to Unity, so most of the elevation work will be done (project will still need some five tuning ) but with this loaded it just needs CF to add the finishing touches.

[clubcaptain]

I downloaded unity a few days ago.wanted to try and see if I can start doing anything with my home course where I'm a member.after I downloaded it ,I couldn't get no farther.lol..I couldn't figure out how to even start to make a course..I looked at a few videos on YouTube but that didn't help...if there are a few videos on here or YouTube showing how to start would be helpful..please post link if they are around..I got a feeling there is going to be a big learning curve and the forum is going to be over run with ?'s...

You can't make a course as such but you can create terrain, mountains, valleys, water, plant trees and grass, simulate a fairway, use different textures, and that's quite a lot.

[Dazmaniac]

Like ClubCaptain alludes to, you can do much of the prep work for a course even without having CF.

Either using a blank canvas or working on a terrain with a Google /Bing map texture overlaid, you can work on elevations and sloping without the need for CF.

[Legerejeff]

Well the mesh system has been fixed!

[Legerejeff]

Any news?

[Richard]

Any news?

 

Yup, soon!!

[zmax - sim]

Yup, soon!!

 

Correction:

 

Very soon!  

[zmax - sim]

But seriously,  they want to get this out asap.  There's no conspiracy here.