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The Golf Club release Aug. 19th on Xbox One and PC, PS4 later this month
- Thread starter FinFan
- Start date
Release day for PS4! Leave your impressions here so you can tell me if I should pick it up or not
Same here, I cant even find any reviews.
UpUpDownDown
Member
Anyone take the plunge on ps4?
shoplifter
Member
I was waiting for someone to buy the Ps4 version as well but it's looking like I might have to just take the plunge.
Neuromancer
Member
I'm scared
I seen a video earlier about the PS4 game having a game breaking skipping problem.
Edit: found it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stRgVFr64Po
Game Breaking Issues Evident in the PS4 Release of The Golf Club (Update: fix is "imminent")
Edit: found it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stRgVFr64Po
Game Breaking Issues Evident in the PS4 Release of The Golf Club (Update: fix is "imminent")
adamsappel
Member
Most reviewers' main knocks against it are not having many options for changing the look of your character and no career mode. I don't care about that. I just wanted a golf game that reminded me of playing Links on the original Xbox with my friends. I've never liked the Tiger Woods games.
I'm enjoying the game on PS4. It can be quite difficult. I found switching to left-stick controls solved all my hook problems; now I'm just having trouble with how much power to use. Unfortunately, the atrocious framerate plays a part in this. There are moments when the gameplay "hitches" momentarily in a backswing and you overpower your swing wildly. It doesn't happen often, but when it does you're sure that was going to be your birdie chip-in.
I love the low-key announcer. The visuals are nice, although every fairway, rough, fringe, etc. all have the same individual palette. Lots of courses to choose from, although some user-designed holes can be a little cheeky (lots of bunkers and water surrounding holes, etc.) My only real complaint is with the framerate. It noticeably drops during camera pans, sometimes during gameplay, and there's always a jarring transition when a new animation kicks in when your ball lands.
I do like it, though, and it's scratching that videogame golf itch that's been noticeably absent the past few years.
I'm enjoying the game on PS4. It can be quite difficult. I found switching to left-stick controls solved all my hook problems; now I'm just having trouble with how much power to use. Unfortunately, the atrocious framerate plays a part in this. There are moments when the gameplay "hitches" momentarily in a backswing and you overpower your swing wildly. It doesn't happen often, but when it does you're sure that was going to be your birdie chip-in.
I love the low-key announcer. The visuals are nice, although every fairway, rough, fringe, etc. all have the same individual palette. Lots of courses to choose from, although some user-designed holes can be a little cheeky (lots of bunkers and water surrounding holes, etc.) My only real complaint is with the framerate. It noticeably drops during camera pans, sometimes during gameplay, and there's always a jarring transition when a new animation kicks in when your ball lands.
I do like it, though, and it's scratching that videogame golf itch that's been noticeably absent the past few years.
Sony needs to get their friends list issues sorted out. There are an awful lot of games where you can't have a ton of friends.
Allforce
Member
I want to jump in on this, been following it since the early-access Steam release. Sucks that it's having issues at launch, I think I'm going to wait it out a bit for a sale price.
I would love to see this be a PS+ title one month and everyone who's not interested in golf flip out over the selection.
I would love to see this be a PS+ title one month and everyone who's not interested in golf flip out over the selection.
OnlookerDelay
Member
I've played 90 holes on the PS4 version now, and it puts the XB1 version (which I also own) to shame. Here's my quick thoughts I posted in the official TGC forum about it:
The PS4 version's 1080p resolution makes a significant difference in the appearance of the game in most aspects. For starters, the ball looks more like a 3-dimensional sphere than a 2-D circular blip. I don't see near the jagginess in the club shaft, golfer's arms, shirt outline, pants legs, and flag sticks. The nearby grass textures also look more detailed, richer, and more natural looking. Nearby trees show more vivid details, sand textures look more natural.
Where I think the PS4 version loses it advantage in the 1080p department is the middle range and distant objects. The Depth of Field effect the console versions use - without an option to disable - blur the middle and distant trees and objects proportionally to their distance. They look no different to me than the XB1 version at 720p when they're this blurred. However, the overall effect of 1080p is a huge advantage for this game over 720p. I'm more sold on the natural organics of the environment because of it and it has met my expectations, and would have exceeded them if it had included an option to disasble DOF.
Where I'm really jazzed about the PS4 version is how much smoother and proportional the swing interface feels. I left vsync disabled to see how well it could maintain ove 30 fps. It surpassed expectations on my test course (Autumn Ridge G.C. is noted for its ability to flow freely). I felt like I was in the mid to high 30s most of the time. It made a huge difference in my pitching and sand games. I was actually able to pull off a 43% flop shot from the bunker that felt closer to the swing I put on it. I played pitched shots with proportional, modulated swings rather than using shot modification to turn pitches in to lawn darts. The experience may not be as pure and fluid on other courses, but I'll try some of the more demanding ones later. So far though - the frame rate and swing response have induced little tingly waves of euphoria in my sensory system :-[
On the downside... I feel like a fish out of water with the DS4 controller. I'm a left thumbstick swinger, and this thumbstick is way too far down the body of the controller for my tastes. The stick response and motion feels good, but the angle of attack for my thumb is much more severe than it is on the 360 and XB1 controllers. I'm slicing everything to the right... I'm talking outside of the natural swing cone slice. I also have more trouble hitting 100% as consistently with it, but this might have something to do with the higher overall frame rates I saw in my first round. I forsee a CronusMax experiment with connecting my XB1 controller to the PS4 coming later tonight.
What can I say? I'm really jazzed so far. No network lag, fluid frame rates, 1080p graphics that do make it look more like a next-gen game... a hearty thumbs-up so far!
The PS4 version's 1080p resolution makes a significant difference in the appearance of the game in most aspects. For starters, the ball looks more like a 3-dimensional sphere than a 2-D circular blip. I don't see near the jagginess in the club shaft, golfer's arms, shirt outline, pants legs, and flag sticks. The nearby grass textures also look more detailed, richer, and more natural looking. Nearby trees show more vivid details, sand textures look more natural.
Where I think the PS4 version loses it advantage in the 1080p department is the middle range and distant objects. The Depth of Field effect the console versions use - without an option to disable - blur the middle and distant trees and objects proportionally to their distance. They look no different to me than the XB1 version at 720p when they're this blurred. However, the overall effect of 1080p is a huge advantage for this game over 720p. I'm more sold on the natural organics of the environment because of it and it has met my expectations, and would have exceeded them if it had included an option to disasble DOF.
Where I'm really jazzed about the PS4 version is how much smoother and proportional the swing interface feels. I left vsync disabled to see how well it could maintain ove 30 fps. It surpassed expectations on my test course (Autumn Ridge G.C. is noted for its ability to flow freely). I felt like I was in the mid to high 30s most of the time. It made a huge difference in my pitching and sand games. I was actually able to pull off a 43% flop shot from the bunker that felt closer to the swing I put on it. I played pitched shots with proportional, modulated swings rather than using shot modification to turn pitches in to lawn darts. The experience may not be as pure and fluid on other courses, but I'll try some of the more demanding ones later. So far though - the frame rate and swing response have induced little tingly waves of euphoria in my sensory system
:-[On the downside... I feel like a fish out of water with the DS4 controller. I'm a left thumbstick swinger, and this thumbstick is way too far down the body of the controller for my tastes. The stick response and motion feels good, but the angle of attack for my thumb is much more severe than it is on the 360 and XB1 controllers. I'm slicing everything to the right... I'm talking outside of the natural swing cone slice. I also have more trouble hitting 100% as consistently with it, but this might have something to do with the higher overall frame rates I saw in my first round. I forsee a CronusMax experiment with connecting my XB1 controller to the PS4 coming later tonight.
What can I say? I'm really jazzed so far. No network lag, fluid frame rates, 1080p graphics that do make it look more like a next-gen game... a hearty thumbs-up so far!
OnlookerDelay
Member
I just saw this posted in the official forum about the first XB1 patch. Could see it in play as early as a week from Friday.
We are hoping to turn the patch in on Fri, maybe early next week. Then Microsoft says 5-10 business days to get it through cert.
Yes, it should contain a fix for the friends issue that causes stuttering, the saving issue in the GNCD, the sculpting tool issues in the GNCD, some graphical improvement, the audio pops, unpublished courses disappearing, putting info being hidden, achievement issues, and more.
We are hoping to turn the patch in on Fri, maybe early next week. Then Microsoft says 5-10 business days to get it through cert.
Yes, it should contain a fix for the friends issue that causes stuttering, the saving issue in the GNCD, the sculpting tool issues in the GNCD, some graphical improvement, the audio pops, unpublished courses disappearing, putting info being hidden, achievement issues, and more.
DidntKnowJack
Member
Been playing the PS4 version, a little last night and more today. I would have put more time into it but I'm beginning to feel more and more frustrated with it. I'm finding it incredibly difficult to gauge how hard to swing, especially where the short game is concerned. Now, I know the difference in shot types, like using flop and chip, so that's not the issue, but sometimes I can take that shot and nail it, then try again on another hole and completely screw it up.
It's tough when (let's say) you're 45 yards from the cup, it's 5 feet uphill, but all you know is you have a wedge that goes 109 yards max. (Or whatever it is, I forget.) So trying to swing your club at about 50 to 55 percent strength is a bit daunting. For me, it's a crap shoot. Sometimes you nail it, sometimes you're way off.
The visuals are disappointing, but at this point those are the least of my worries. I'm just finding the player interface a bit lacking. I said this in another thread but the game seems unfinished. I don't hate it or anything, but I am starting to lose patience with it.
It's tough when (let's say) you're 45 yards from the cup, it's 5 feet uphill, but all you know is you have a wedge that goes 109 yards max. (Or whatever it is, I forget.) So trying to swing your club at about 50 to 55 percent strength is a bit daunting. For me, it's a crap shoot. Sometimes you nail it, sometimes you're way off.
The visuals are disappointing, but at this point those are the least of my worries. I'm just finding the player interface a bit lacking. I said this in another thread but the game seems unfinished. I don't hate it or anything, but I am starting to lose patience with it.
Heavy_D_Forever
Banned
I'm really enjoying this game on PS4. It's bare-bones but the actual Golfing Gameplay is fantastic. It's challenging and punishes you for bad shots, which is something real golfers know all about.
I would love if people would check out my created course called Sherwood Forest and let me know what you think!
I would love if people would check out my created course called Sherwood Forest and let me know what you think!
PumpkinSpice
Banned
Hah HB. I know some people from my old school and former coworkers that had worked there. They're basically renowed for being a shovel-ware sweatshop, but being one of the few largish studios in Nova Scotia made them somewhat attractive to people hell bent on working in games.
Maybe they've actually changed since then as this actually looks decent for a sports game.
Maybe they've actually changed since then as this actually looks decent for a sports game.
You could post this on a another forum and no one would know you were talking about a video game. What you are describing is golf.
Welcome to the world of Whack 'Fuck'!
Heavy_D_Forever
Banned
The game was patched today for PS4. According to the official forums it fixes the stuttering issues and the problem with created courses not showing up in search. Happy hacking everyone!
Picked this up and finally played a couple of rounds. Some thoughts (first the good, then some feedback / suggestions):
+ Feels like you're really playing golf, more so than any other golf game I've played. Nails that aspect.
+ One thing I haven't read: liking the SOUNDS here. Good "ping!" on drives, iron contact sounds good, putting noise... all of those "golfing sounds" you hear in real life are well done here
+ Online courses and having a whole bunch right outta the gate to play.
Now some feedback / criticisms about the game as well as some suggestions I would LOVE to see:
- Practice range. Totally get how you can create something really quick with the course creator, but I would love a very traditional-looking range with markers for distance, a couple of flags you can look to hit at, etc.
- Online course UX needs some work. Yes, you can do some sorting by most played by week / month / all time etc. but there needs to be a way, maybe a "Community Showcase" section, where the HBS team can plug some REALLY well done courses that's literally just a handful every week or so.
- A little more customization might be needed. Not talking about stat-changing things, but maybe some different looking clubs. Different colors. Etc.
- Some explanations. So unsure about global rank and some other things that I had to look online to get an answer for (with some answers not being definite).
I would love to see an actual roadmap of how HBS will be supporting this title. I know they've mentioned some things here and there, but once they actually get a plan down, sharing it with the community so we know what might be potentially worked on. Really great base here for a golf game and excited to keep on playing some rounds.
+ Feels like you're really playing golf, more so than any other golf game I've played. Nails that aspect.
+ One thing I haven't read: liking the SOUNDS here. Good "ping!" on drives, iron contact sounds good, putting noise... all of those "golfing sounds" you hear in real life are well done here
+ Online courses and having a whole bunch right outta the gate to play.
Now some feedback / criticisms about the game as well as some suggestions I would LOVE to see:
- Practice range. Totally get how you can create something really quick with the course creator, but I would love a very traditional-looking range with markers for distance, a couple of flags you can look to hit at, etc.
- Online course UX needs some work. Yes, you can do some sorting by most played by week / month / all time etc. but there needs to be a way, maybe a "Community Showcase" section, where the HBS team can plug some REALLY well done courses that's literally just a handful every week or so.
- A little more customization might be needed. Not talking about stat-changing things, but maybe some different looking clubs. Different colors. Etc.
- Some explanations. So unsure about global rank and some other things that I had to look online to get an answer for (with some answers not being definite).
I would love to see an actual roadmap of how HBS will be supporting this title. I know they've mentioned some things here and there, but once they actually get a plan down, sharing it with the community so we know what might be potentially worked on. Really great base here for a golf game and excited to keep on playing some rounds.
Heavy_D_Forever
Banned
I do believe this is possible if you invite someone from your friends list into a game, but no random matchmaking is available.
MidEvlDed
Member
I thought this was only coming to XB1 so now that I know it's on PS4 I'm kind of excited about it. I was looking forward to the next EA golf game with the ridiculous fantasy courses and stuff but I guess that's not coming out this year. The only thing is the price. Yikes. I'll probably wait for a sale.
Jeez the putting is a bitch!!!
Got for the PS4 and just as others have said it really is the purest golf experience available on a console.
The difficulty in gauging swing strength, the gentle fades. Everything is just right. No hand holding here. And as a few posters up mentioned the sounds of the club hitting the ball are fantastic.
There are a few things though..
I really don't like wearing caps. Maybe a flatcap, but not a peaked cap!!!!
In addition to above, maybe a few more player customisations. Not really stats, more visual.
That's pretty much it.
Great game and slowly taking over all my spare time!!
Got for the PS4 and just as others have said it really is the purest golf experience available on a console.
The difficulty in gauging swing strength, the gentle fades. Everything is just right. No hand holding here. And as a few posters up mentioned the sounds of the club hitting the ball are fantastic.
There are a few things though..
I really don't like wearing caps. Maybe a flatcap, but not a peaked cap!!!!
In addition to above, maybe a few more player customisations. Not really stats, more visual.
That's pretty much it.
Great game and slowly taking over all my spare time!!
dano1
A Sheep
Playing the PS4 version for 2 days now. I really like that everone uses the same clubs and golf balls. It's all about skill and that's how it should be! For me I'll take this over Tiger Woods game any day. If you buy it I suggest watching the how to play videos on HB studios utube station. It will make you a much better player! Pretty good at putting now.
9/10.
9/10.
OnlookerDelay
Member
Yes, but it's not real time... there's about an 7 to 10 second delay between the time you hit your shot and your opponent sees it on their screen. If your connected to your opponent via chat, this acts as a huge spoiler because you can gauge what's going to happen in their shot by their voice reaction, well before you see it on screen.
There are also two types of multiplayer: Simultaneous Play (HBS calls it a "Ghost" ball), where you're playing against the recorded round of another player(s). You can seclect to play against ghost players without knowing what their scores are if you like. I do that frequently and it adds a lot to the atmosphere.... and drama, in many cases.
There is also turn-based play (HBS calls it "Live" player), in which you play by the order of play (who's away) and you watch your opponent play their shot from their swing camera view. It adds a lot of time to the round to play this way due to the 7 to 10 second lag, plus sitting idly during shot setup. If you're playing simultaneously, you can at least be prepping and playing your shot while your opponent is playing in parallel. You see their shot icon so you roughly know where they're at. The live scorecard on the left shows you how many strokes they've played. The lag between voice and action also plagues this option.
If you're playing what they call "Live" Multiplayer without using voice, this problem is eliminated, but you'rs still going to be impacted by the lag, which can add 23 to 26 minutes to the amount of time required to play the same round against a "Ghost" player, whose shot telemetry is being served up in real time.
OnlookerDelay
Member
I have all three versions. I've been playing the PC version since the closed beta. I've gradually upgraded my system to where I can play it at a descent resolution, graphics detail, and frame rate. The Golf Club really needs 30 fps to be consistent and allow you to develop a feel. It feels markedly more "alive" at 40 fps on the PC, but I have to cut my res back from 1600 x 900 to 1366 x 768 to achieve rates like that, at medium graphics detail. I see 30 - 35 fps at 1600 x 900, medium graphics detail on my system, which is as described below:
AMD A4-3420 APU, OC'd to 3.4 Ghz
Geforce GTX 750 Ti 2 GB (Superclocked)
8GB PC-1600 DDR3 RAM
Windows 7 64 bit
It looks pretty darn good in 1600 x 900 at medium detail, but not as good as the PS4 version, which is the equivalent of 1920 x 1080 @ high graphics detail. I do use 4x msaa and 8x AA on the PC version which narrows that gap between the two, as I don't know if the PS4 version uses either... it doesn't appear to anyway.
As far as gameplay, it's on equal terms to either of the console versions. If you've got an XBox 360 controller that you can connect to your PC, you're in for a gameplay experience that feels really sold and integrated. Course creation seems to run considerably faster and smoother on the PC than it does on the consoles.
I can recommend the PC version IF you've got the hardware to run it at 1600 x 900, medium detail, or higher.
Codiox
Member
Thanks for your detailed review! Man the delay is fucking worse...
OnlookerDelay
Member
It's because of the way they process the multiplayer data. The data isn't networked in real time because your shot's data is actually received by the server, converted to a historical file, and then transmitted back out to the other players who are also in your live round. Once that live round has ended, that collection of files is assembled into a "ghost" round from which others can play against. So in essence, the only way to play a multiplayer round in "real time" is to play against a "ghost"
I enjoy playing against ghost players because the play moves much faster. You can even play against a ghost player in turn-based play, which moves pretty fast. Of course you miss the live interaction, but it's better than playing alone.
HBS said they had to do it this way so as not to require The Golf Club owners to have to have a premium service (XBox Live Playstation Plus) to network games in real time. They have said that eventually, there will be a real time, lobby-based multiplayer system added, but it will require premium service. I don't think that's such a big deal since most people who want to play online with XBox One and PS4 already have premium service!?
Codiox
Member
It's because of the way they process the multiplayer data. The data isn't networked in real time because your shot's data is actually received by the server, converted to a historical file, and then transmitted back out to the other players who are also in your live round. Once that live round has ended, that collection of files is assembled into a "ghost" round from which others can play against. So in essence, the only way to play a multiplayer round in "real time" is to play against a "ghost"
I enjoy playing against ghost players because the play moves much faster. You can even play against a ghost player in turn-based play, which moves pretty fast. Of course you miss the live interaction, but it's better than playing alone.
HBS said they had to do it this way so as not to require The Golf Club owners to have to have a premium service (XBox Live Playstation Plus) to network games in real time. They have said that eventually, there will be a real time, lobby-based multiplayer system added, but it will require premium service. I don't think that's such a big deal since most people who want to play online with XBox One and PS4 already have premium service!?
This is the dumbest excuse I've ever heard from the devs. Everybody who plays online have Xbox live or ps plus. I will buy this game if it have a real multi-player and not this shit. It's 2014 for god's sake everybody is connected and what not. Don't hold back on such an essential feature. Me and my friends wanted to buy it but now nobody will give a crap about it.
everthustodeadbeats
Member
I played some Pebble Beach styled course and my ball landed on some ocean cliff and didn't go into the water. I looked every where in the menus on how to do a drop, to take a stroke and play the ball at the top of the cliff, but there was zip. Is this a game bug or a course design bug (it should have been 'out of bounds' but wasn't marked that way).
Thanks for that write up. I appreciate it
I've got nothing fancy and everything is stock, no overclocking
i5-3550
GeForce GTX 670
8 gb RAM
Win 7 64
Looks like it might not be the best for me then. I might wait for price drop
Yeah I'm loving this so much. Surprised as well!
Neuromancer
Member
Picked up the game today and after hearing the horror stories, I have to say the graphics on the PS4 version aren't that bad. In fact the greens and the bunkers are quite nice looking, as are the backgrounds in the distance. The mid to far stuff isn't great, like the trees and so on, and there's a lot of popin but it doesn't bother me.
As for the gameplay, it's fantastic. Really if you like golf or golf games you should check it out. I've only ever played golf games with the 3 click system, but after just a few rounds I'm figuring out how much I need to pull back and how hard to swing. I'm not fantastic but I can get par about half the time, considering I just started I'm pleased with that. In summary this game's awesome and the caddie is a sarcastic ass.
As for the gameplay, it's fantastic. Really if you like golf or golf games you should check it out. I've only ever played golf games with the 3 click system, but after just a few rounds I'm figuring out how much I need to pull back and how hard to swing. I'm not fantastic but I can get par about half the time, considering I just started I'm pleased with that. In summary this game's awesome and the caddie is a sarcastic ass.
backbreaker65
Banned
I bought today also based off of watching a stream on "Live from PlayStation" I asked the guy who was playing a few questions and watched his stream and realized this is the golf game for me. It is a SIM Golf Game with some nice graphics. I don't like all the pop in when they start showing you the course. I do like the Ghost that you play against are of players who played on that course.
The Golf in this game is fantastic. I had to go to HB YouTube channel to get some of the tutorials on all the game play elements because they are not in game.
Here is their YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/HBStudiosDeveloper
Stranger In The Alps
Member
This is a game design decision. The entire game has no OB whatsoever, so unless your ball goes into water it is considered playable. This can lead to some situations on custom courses where you have to take +7 simply because there is no physical way to get the ball back on course.
bananafactory
Banned
Does anyone know if this supports cross platform play? My friend has it on PC and I wanna buy the PS4 version, can I play with him?
backbreaker65
Banned
How to Practice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUQe-_6_-0Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUQe-_6_-0Q
TheMissingLink
Member
Duuuuudes, The Golf Club plays great via remote play! Just an FYI
Like watching ghost balls from depward and eznark, I want more golf buddies! That's a really nice touch.
Add: TheMissingLink
Plays a great game! Shame on Sony for literally zero promotion.
Like watching ghost balls from depward and eznark, I want more golf buddies! That's a really nice touch.
Add: TheMissingLink
Plays a great game! Shame on Sony for literally zero promotion.
But that's just stupid. Taking an unplayable is a part of golf rules.
No, cross platform content but not play.
Performance seems to vary a lot but I'd still be surprised if you don't get 30fps at 1080 on high with your setup. As a rough indicator I rarely dip below 60 with a 780 and 4670k.
nicoga3000
Saint Nic
So how robust is the course creator? Can you do big elevation changes and crazy Golden Tee style stuff? Or is it more like real courses only?
I just put two bears on top of a 200 foot plateau in the middle of a fairway.