PGLS

been running across a lot of slow folks lately in the MP lobby.
yep it is a shame some take so long to shoot. when i find these folks i just avoid them in the future.
i would like to see the 60 second clock to take a hike for a 45 and 30 second clock or maybe all 3 options would be good.

something else to go along with this i have noticed brand new players starting off in MP
and not even knowing much about how the game works at all, and expecting to have others tell them how to play.

i myself played for months before i even attempted a MP game because i did
not want to be the cause of slow play.

i would like to see a 30 second clock myself as that is plenty of time to make any shot for anyone

Makosha wrote:Am UI the only one who thinks that the reason some players are so slow is that they are disabling the meter and taking practice swings, some players taking +/- 2 mins on each shot

Firstly, I doubt that anyone is doing very many practice swings. Also, I've learned not to try to figure out what other guys are doing, and just play my game. If someone uses a straight hitting controller, or slows down their meter... that, in and of itself, doesn't mean they picked the right club to begin with. Over the course of my video golf experience, I've seen a lot of would be pretenders - probably trying this or that various unsporting techniques, to try to gain an advantage.

But, in the end, you still have to know how to actually play the course on the fly, in order to score well; and straight shooting is not always the right idea, in the first place. In other words, straight shooting is vastly overrated. Some difficult pins are nigh impossible to even get a sniff of, without correct fairway angle, and a well executed fade or going draw to get it back there. The Open at Carnoustie is a classic example of a course that simply does not accept being overpowered. It's a thinking-man's golf course. The greens don't even allow shots to just enter and go where they please. Often, on Carnoustie, the player simply has to get extremely creative with where they will land their ball in front of the green. I'm surprised that some of the pros in The Open didn't just fly it long on 14 for example, to avoid that downslope kick. Some shots have to be thought through, in reverse.

Now, if someone takes a good while to take a shot - you might want to check that they have not been suddenly distracted with something in the background. They could be checking the score on TV, trying to take food out of the oven, running for a quick bathroom break, answering their front door, answering an important phone call, trying to handle some kiddos, etc. - Life happens, and video golf is secondary.

Here's another post regarding some of the variations in pace of play, and some proposed solutions: http://pgls.golfladders.co.uk/forums/vi ... f=2&t=2495.

There's another thing that I've noticed coming back with a vengeance, and that is this game server's lag. Sometimes, the game server doesn't provide a particularly great connection between the host and the grouping - which can cause undue delays in a player's ability to even see a shot fully transpire, much less try to aim and setup their own shot, in a timely fashion. I've recently seen connection lag take 15 to 30 seconds just to allow the player to aim. So, there's another reason. Is your connection between all of the players in the grouping solid?

Finally, consider that this is not Tiger Woods Golf for the Xbox, and so it's not as easy as just swinging back and forth with a controller, every shot going straight... with a smart in-game caddie. - Rather, in JNPG, the caddie is more often totally clueless about club selection, and the cameras are much less intuitive - when it comes to providing the player all of the necessary information about the requisite shot conditions. Oftentimes, this game will have you aiming 30 degrees aft of the target. If you just guess and hit it, than you're just foolish. It takes at least 15 seconds to think through what you should hit, if you're actually thinking your next shot through.

The flustered UI in this game simply does not allow expediency, full stop.

It's taken me over two years to be able to think quickly, fiddle with this borked in-game UI, and then hit all within 30 seconds... and that's if my sole focus is on this game. But, that doesn't mean that, from time to time, any one of us cannot get flustered, or totally out of position out there.

So, there's a zillion reasons why guys might take more than 5 seconds to hit. The only solution to get a serious game is to set the shot clock. Simple as. Also, if you are trying to get other players to essentially play speed golf... than, you're not going to win over very many new friends. Reason being... if all you seek are serious games, than that's all anyone is going to give you, and nothing more. After all, no one has any time to chat, if all they're interested in is finishing the game before it ever starts.

My solution to not wearing myself out with in-game time wasting is to play Alternate Shot games. An Alt. Shot grouping can play 18 holes faster than 4 players can get through 9 holes of individual stroke play. Plus, the camaraderie is more fun, and it's rewarding picking each other up out on the course.

not gonna mention any names , but there is a player in pgls who takes quite a bit on time, when i asked him why he takes so long, the reply was ...." i am working my shot out".ok fair enough, but after you hit your tee shot look at your player top left and you get the distance from pin, its simples thats half the work done lol

I will venture an opinion on this controversial subject (I rarely do after all these years, but here goes)...

I love playing online multiplayer games, but one of the reasons I stopped playing tour games here MP is the number of slow players that I seemed to be ending up playing with. And just saying up front, these people are very nice and I have no suspicions of any BS in the background. I just have to wonder what in the hell they are doing that takes so long? Seriously, why? I am genuinely curious.

Perc

LES1959 wrote:not gonna mention any names , but there is a player in pgls who takes quite a bit on time, when i asked him why he takes so long, the reply was ...." i am working my shot out".ok fair enough, but after you hit your tee shot look at your player top left and you get the distance from pin, its simples thats half the work done lol

You are right on the money, with this tip. At some point I discovered that it's possible (in multiplayer) to play the shot within 5 to 10 seconds tops; by simply doing all the math while it's someone else's turn.

But, there are a few caveats to this. It requires teeing off with the long drive, which gives you the requisite time to figure out your approach, whilst the other players are thinking and hitting their shots.

Also, the prevailing wind almost always slightly rotates from the tee to the fairway. So, if wind is a factor, than it may take an extra 10-15 seconds to re-adjust your club for wind, once you finally get up to your lie.

Finally, it requires a great memory of all the greens. Another thing that can catch you out, is an undulating green complex. Despite briefly pressing F2, to get a glimpse of the green up ahead, the graphics in this game simply do not show undulations and sharp elevation changes very well. So, unless you remember that the pin is on the 3rd level of the green, than you would forget to club up for that, rather than just playing the yardage; and potentially pitching directly into a steep slope, and coming up way short.

So, if you don't care where you hit your shot, you just hit in 2 seconds. But, even if you only take 15 seconds, there's an awful lot of thought that can go into a well choreographed approach... at least, if the player is actually playing the course layout as it has been envisaged.

I tested out playing every shot in literally 5 seconds at St. Andrews yesterday; when someone had set a MP game with calm winds, and easy pins. It's definitely possible to still play well by just hitting to the stated yardage, in relatively benign conditions.

But, the minute you start playing in at least Strong Breeze, particularly with Difficult pins, cut near the green exits... it's going to take at least 15 seconds of thought - to not end up in the green-side hazards, for no other reason than poor course management, and an over-aggressive, go-for-it-sucker-pin mentality. You see, it actually takes thought to play to safety. If you just try to hit it straight at the pin, depending on the difficulty of the conditions, it just won't work.

The issue here is expecting everyone to have the same carefree approach as we may have. While it's certainly possible to just grip and rip, willy nilly, and still score; for the thinking man's approach to golf... it's arguably not very challenging, nor rewarding to play away like this.

If someone can't wait a modicum of 30 to 40 seconds for other players to rightfully take their turn, in turn based play - without heckling them to play speed golf, than perhaps their expectations for turn based play are a bit unrealistic for this particular application.

Roll on PG2 if it comes, where all play will be from the player perspective and the ability should be there to set-up and even play your shot whilst your playing companion is doing the same over his shot. Won't speed things up if the other player still takes an age, and so lets hope they also add in the requisite shot timers and make them part of a future API.

Its either that, or they allow two online players to play at their own pace, but which for me would defeat the idea of multiplayer entirely. You may as well have played solo.

Links had the system of shadow play but would then re-sync at each hole end, and as I say above, you could still find yourself waiting an age for the slower player to catch up. At present I just use the time with a free cam top have at least gone and stood behind my ball and start the decision making process.... so not so bothered about someone walking away from their address numerous times to start their pre-shot process again from the start.