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Iron Forest
by Francois Cristallo

Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1655
Release Date CRZ Filesize Par Course Length
2006-03-14  80,826,368  bytes 72  7225 yards
Type Style CRZ Filename
FICTIONAL  OCEAN  Iron Forest_locked.crz 
Course ID Course Key
   

COURSE SCREENSHOTS

LINKS CORNER REVIEW

Reviewer - Michael Hubbard


INTRODUCTION

This is François Cristallo 9th course for Links 2003 which follows a line of competent efforts in recent years.


Extract from the Readme

'For this one, the theme was to create at least one 3D object / hole, all these objects are created from terrain'
' Have fun with this course'



COURSE

As you stand on the first tee - Screenshot 1 - with the tropical sounds and palm trees in front, you cannot help but feel immersed in a very atmospheric course. Sweeping wide fairways, very large greens and trees a plenty adorned with natural under planting. A fascinating Windmill greets you on the first green and the second Tee shot to the reachable par 4 hole is taken from a small walled compound surrounding the mill - Screenshot 2, from green.
It is at this point that one has a choice; either to let go of the reality of the course in favour of what François has accomplished here or to feel disappointed over what might have been. From here on, each hole is accompanied by its own unique, individual piece of artwork that is stunning in its own setting and yet all too often looks ill at ease when situated on a golf course.
The course itself looks most inviting, with a number of beautiful par 3 set ups to drool over - Screenshots 3, 9 & 10. A good variety in elevation is used throughout along with a little fairway slope. A notable facet of the course is the omission of a fringe around the greens in favour of a well blended strip of fairway. A number of the holes had a fairway run out at the rear too which is appropriate as a good number of shots in the faster settings of the mod seem to find there way through the back of the heavily sloped greens.
There are no crowds or tournament objects here although in truth Iron Forest couldn't really be taken seriously as a championship venue. There is a considerable amount of trees around the track in good mixture with no noticeable clones to be seen, without some keen detection which is commendable. What is remarkable is both the water texture and that of the sand that surrounds it; having a most realistic appearance that I cannot recall seeing so well executed before - Screenshots 8 & 11. This stands in stark contrast to the sand traps however, which would appear grand were it not for the huge blurry lips apportioned to each which entirely robbed them of all credibility - Screenshot 4. Note too the stepped sand trap on 18. Not a winner for me, but certainly different - Screenshot 13!
There are some stunning bridges scattered about and a number of the 3D creations that are most credible - Screenshots 7, 8 & 12. However along with this there is an overbearing confusion of less plausible features to be seen such as the rock fest at the sixth hole - Screenshot 5. Perhaps the most outstanding example of this is the huge balloon situated on the 7th fairway with its presence all too evident from other areas of the course - Screenshots 6 & 13.




PLAYABILITY

Iron Forest measures 7225 yards with 4 par fours over 450 yards, one reachable par 4 and par 5's that are all in reach with favourable conditions. None the less it plays well short of the yardage given. The fairways are very very generous indeed for the big stick. However if one does miss the fairway then there is no semi, or first cut to bail out into. None the less reaching most greens, even from the rough is quite achievable. There are no real dangers in front of the greens with few bunkers on the course over all. The green entranceways are very large and running the ball in is a good option on many holes around the track.
Where Iron Forest does begin to exert pressure is on the putting surfaces. First off, many greens were difficult to hold in faster conditions due to the heavy slopes encountered. Indeed there were very few flat areas to be found anywhere on the course to putt from. It is here that ones round will either be made or fade. What I would say is that I found the repetitive nature of the fairways size and shape along with that of the greens to be a little repetitive overall. In this respect the course is a little pedestrian in nature. Perhaps a little more variety in design would have yielded a slightly more encapsulating round.




DESIGNER INTERVIEW - FRANÇOIS CRISTALLO


1. Which of the many 3D creations at Iron Forest was your personal favourite?
My favourite object is "The Well", funny because it was one of the easiest object to create; the "balloon" is not far behind & it was the most difficult!!! (I don't want to count how many hours on it)


2. Were the hole layouts on the course manoeuvred to accommodate your 3D designs or visa versa?
As much of others, this course (mesh) was already designed before having the idea of the 3D objects.


3. How were you able to produce such superb shimmering effects on the water?
I created this texture for another "unreleased course" some months before this design.
I created it with Photoshop (a lot of hours too!!!), I started this texture with this one:
http://f-cristallo.chez-alice.fr/images/commande/water_start.jpg
I applied a lot of filters & modifications and this is the result :
http://f-cristallo.chez-alice.fr/images/commande/water_finish.jpg



4. Do you have any future designs on the drawing board?
Yes, and it's in the very good way, it's my 1st real course recreation : "Dorado Beach East", I need to finish the club-house & some textures, I don't know when the beta-file will be ready, but I think you will not wait a long time.

CONCLUSION

Overall François creation is great fun, visually captivating but unlikely to gain recognition for reality. The layout of holes is ok, but the 3D spectacular that is Iron Forest seems to have been given the trump card over the game play with easy driving that gives way to frustration with the flat blade.
I cannot say that Iron Forest was to my taste. I found myself constantly distracted by each new object and paying little regard for the course which presented too wide an open target for my concentration. None the less it is, I feel sure, a course that will delight many with its stunning display of artistic design along with François inimitable knack of producing an enterprise that encapsulates his love of designing! If nothing else, it is a must play for the water quality alone. . .




IN A WORD

Artistic Exhibition

CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg)

Description
Imaginary, tropical course.
Location
TBA
Conditions
TBA
Concept  9/10
A luscious tropical isle with the added theme of some brilliant 3D objects made with both custom shots and the terrain. These additional objects could have spoiled the course, but the golfing design remains clever throughout and on many holes the objects add to the appeal rather than detract from it. There are fewer stand-out holes than would perhaps be ideal, with an emphasis on slightly-obstructed Par 4s, hence the loss of a mark.
Appearance  10/10
Sheer brilliance, this. Everything looks lovely, from the custom textures, to the brilliant hard-sand bunkers, to the smooth lagoon. Most of the 3D objects are excellent, and the hot-air balloon is a work of brilliance. Planting is very convincing, and there's so much to look at on every hole, you'd hardly want to play golf.
Playability  6/10
A couple of problems let this down for me. Apart from the lack of variety in the Par 4s, the annoying cricket sound effects and the long rendering times were a bit of a downer. There is some great imagination in terms of shot requirements, though, and players with speedy processors will be playing this again and again.
Challenge  9/10
This course is extremely well-pitched. Birdies are hard to come by, and only the Par 5s offer you a sporting chance. Even then, they are not obvious two-shotters and will require some careful planning and bravery to get a shot at Eagle. If you tangle with the trees on the shorter holes, expect to miss par, especially seeing as the deep rough is exceptionally punishing. Sadly, the interesting bunkers very rarely come into play.
Technical  9/10
The technical work that has gone into the object design and the textures is top-notch. Planting is generally very good, and makes the course feel very natural. Custom objects are so frequent that you'll need to go round a few times to spot them all. A bit more in-play elevation work, and perhaps some tidier blends/extrusion combinations, and this would be nigh-on perfect.
Overall A lovely and interesting tropical lagoon course, with some impressive and unusual hole designs. If you can look past the annoying sound and long rendering times, this could become a big favourite. 43/50
Please remember that Clipnote reviews are the opinion of one person and do not constitute an 'Official' Links Corner review of the course.

USER RATINGS

 Votes cast
Ace22 %18
Eagle52 %42
Birdie25 %20
Par1 %1
Bogey or worse0 %0

The User Course Reviews and polls have been removed from the forum due to the low numbers of members. The information above is presented merely for historical interest.

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