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OutWorld
by Johnny Holland
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1336 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2003-09-21 |
51,607,072 bytes |
35 |
3038 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
PARKLAND |
Outworld.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| |
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LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by
Joe Turner `Loner'
October 2003
He had as stated a rather extensive grouping of items in his zip file, it consisted of hole previews, two (Outworld) tee shirts for your ani, the crz of course, and a rather elaborate read-me part of which is below:
Things to think about when playing
Keep in mind as you play these nine holes of golf that you are playing on a fantasy course which means that it will play a little different than your average course.
Here are some things to watch for.
· OutWorld contains both dirt traps and water traps. The dirt traps will play like mud and the water traps will give you the option of a free drop.
· The caddie's brain may take a vacation once you start your round so check your club distances, what the caddie chooses for you may not be the best club for the shot.
· Like many fantasy courses OutWord does have a couple of holes which may require some target practice, however there is always a shorter safer shot. If you stay to the fairways you will
This is a 9 hole course that is played in the dark similar to the excellent Midnight Golf Club Designed by Lars Rudbeck, unfortunately that's were the similarity ends Midnight had some lighting so that the course could be a treat for the eyes as well as a groundbreaking design. This course (which I played a number of times, more than usual, for obvious reasons) was just dark, as you notice I didn't have a very complete rundown in the listing of 'Included and Not Included' because I couldn't see anything, it was too dark. I even have a screen shot with the grid on because it lights up the green. I can't say much about the textures, planting, fairway or green size, shapes colors or even the caliber of work put into this course, I'm not an owl. It did however have a fairway first cut and fringe on the greens and rough, yes it definitely had rough and water hazards, I was in them most of the time. The night sounds were 'appealing' but for a 52.5mb download I think that hole previews on the crz. not in a folder in the zip would have made this effort of his more palatable. Believe me I don't enjoy being so harsh in my review of this course, I am just telling you what I saw or in this case didn't see. The sky or pano (if you wish) was excellent and would have been better served if the course could be enjoyed to it's fullest.
Is it playable, well the putting was very easy, I won't make any blind shot jokes but there seemed to me an inordinate amount of lay-ups and 'target style holes'. If you are a fan of fantasy-Imaginary course you'll like this, I think but if you don't care for the ultra-Imaginary don't bother. Mr. Holland is a talented designer, I reviewed one of his other courses, Sandlot Shores, and even though it too was rather unusual or should I say bizarre it had a certain 'flair' that made for an excellent download and did receive a very nice score. I see where he mentions that he may turn this into an 18 hole course, please make some changes to it so it can be seen a little better than this one was.
Reviewer Note:
I am a player not a designer and therefore rate a course as a player for other players.
Summary :
Included: read-me (extensive), cameo, splash, and custom flag.
Not Included: recorded round or hole previews.
Statistical Information: par 35, 3038y, 4 sets of tees, 2-3 pars, 6-4 pars, 1-5 par. |
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Imaginary, concept course. |
Location
TBA |
Conditions
TBA |
Concept 4/10
Johnny Holland has nothing if not style! OutWorld is a dark-enshrouded,
mystery course. It's certainly an oddball and entertaining selection of hole
designs, in the style we've come to expect from the designer, but it's a
crying shame it couldn't be extended to the full 18 holes. A pity, too, that
we don't really have any idea of where OutWorld is. Another planet? Earth
at night? A theme park? All these ideas fall a little bit flat when you are
presented with the actuality of the course: some distinct fleshing-out is
needed here, I think. |
Appearance 8/10
Reminiscent, naturally, of Midnight GC, OutWorld is actually pretty spectacular, given that it's dark. A knockout panorama is the main
visual treat, but the surface - that of it that can be seen, leastways - is suitably atmospheric too. A smashing selection of 3D
customisation is the final touch, and makes you wonder what this would be like fleshed out to 18 holes. |
Playability 9/10
The hole lengths cause me some confusion. Three Par 4s are drivable, yet amid them is a massive 650-yard Par 5. One senses that
the designer wanted to go the whole hog and include Par 6 and Par 2 holes. Despite this being not possible, the course simply carries
you along on the crest of a wave of things to see and do. It's extravagance of the best kind. |
Challenge 4/10
Perhaps it's best that many holes on this course don't play close to par. Perhaps it's best that the hole lengths allow chances at Eagle.
Perhaps it's best that the ridiculously easily is alternated with the frustratingly cruel. But, then again, when your golf score is at stake,
perhaps it might be best that you played somewhere else. |
Technical 8/10
Simply for the extensiveness of the customisation, for having and being able to carry through such an odd idea, and for the knockout
panorama, this course must earn high marks. Sure, the texture assignations are suspect, and the computer AI regularly fails to deal
with it, but surely this is a sign of innovation, not technical flaw? Well, perhaps… |
| Overall |
Simply for the extensiveness of the customisation, for having and being able to carry through such an odd idea, and for the knockout
panorama, this course must earn high marks. Sure, the texture assignations are suspect, and the computer AI regularly fails to deal
with it, but surely this is a sign of innovation, not technical flaw? Well, perhaps… |
33/50 |
Please remember that Clipnote reviews are the opinion of one person and do not constitute an 'Official' Links Corner review of the course. |
This course is available as a FREE download.
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