|
Victory Grounds
by Johnny Holland
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 849 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2002-04-09 |
59,012,580 bytes |
72 |
6643 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
IMAGINARY |
MOUNTAIN |
Victory.Grounds.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 81e17a0cd00b4eeaa4fe3c95768d1994 |
898bfd3963234a3bbf4ab4d59c977768 |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Chuck Clark April 2002
Background: This is the first course done by Mr. Holland. He has a very nice Read-Me included in the zip with lots of information. He says in his read-me that:
"In the beginning of the design process I wanted to create a breath-taking fictional championship golf course that was full of elevation changes as well as many amazing views seen throughout game play. As the course was being finished, I sat back and began to really look at what I had. Well, I had what I wanted, but after talking with Rick Weathers of Greenseekers Golf Club, I made the decision that this was going to have to be a fantasy course, not a fictional course like I had originally intended. I wanted Victory Grounds to be a little different in the way it looked and played. I didn't want anything too crazy, but something that was realistically crazy might be ok. I wanted to incorporate things like waterfalls, cliffs, and islands into the design of the individual holes. By doing this I hope to create a sense that one was just not playing next to a waterfall or on a cliff, but over that waterfall and off that cliff."
Overall Impression: Well, all I can say is wow! I can't wait to see Mr. Holland do a course he considers to be "too crazy", because this is about the craziest APCD creation I have ever seen! As you can see from the photo's, this course is wild. It has HUGE elevation changes, HUGE cliffs and HUGE waterfalls. It also has a fantastic pano, but unfortunately it is way too visable at times. The textures used are a bit too strange for me as well. The lake texture was very phony looking and some of the other textures were too wierd for me as well. The course itself was very strange too, with many blind shots, forced layups and huge elevation changes. The course is completely unplayable without the top cam being open. If you tried to play this course without it, you would never finish. Many of the holes are totally blind and since they have such huge drops, you could never figure out where to aim. It is a fun course to play though, so keep that in mind.
Playability: This course suffers greatly in this area. As mentioned above, many if not all of the holes are blind. You have little or no idea where to aim as you step to each tee. This is compounded by the fact that many of the holes have huge drops from tee to green. There are some holes with drops of over 300-feet! You occasionally have a shot where the only thing you see is the pano! The fairway drops out of sight and you are left with nothing to aim at. I, probably more than anybody, like fantasy courses, but I always think you should be able to see something when aiming your next shot. There are other issues with playability like narrow fairways and forced layups, but these pale in comparison with the stuff mentioned above.
Shot Values: Well you certainly find out how far you are capable of hitting some clubs on this course. On one hole I hit a five-iron over 300 yards it was so far downhill. There are many instances like this where you are greatly tested in your ability to gauge the distance a shot will fly, when it is sailing over a cliff. I counted the hang time once on an eight-iron I hit down a cliff: 8-seconds! If you like subtle course challenges like gentle swales and mounding around the greens, then this is not the course for you.
Visuals: This course is visually stunning. The cliffs and waterfalls are immense! They are generally pretty well done, but not entirely. They are just a bit too cartoony looking at times, but still pretty spectacular. The pano is very good (I did not recognize it); but it becomes way too visable at times. The course and it's textures don't really match up very well with the pano, so it is obvious when you are looking at one or the other. The pano should just be a distant background, not in-your-face, like on this course.
Technique: The techniques used are interesting to say the least. There is some very well done areas of the course and some that could use some improvements. The mapping of the cliffs and waterfalls are a bit suspect. In order to really make huge cliffs like these look totally realistic, it takes an amazing amount of time. You almost have to map every single face on the cliff separately. The waterfalls are another story. I could not even begin to tell you how to make huge waterfalls like these look good. These look pretty good, but not completely believable. There was also some other technical errors on this course such as sharp edges, a few dark shadows and some other small things.
Summary: This is a wild and crazy golf course. If you really like unusual fantasy courses with huge elevation changes, then go take a look at this course. It is a very large download though, so if you don't like these types then don't even bother. If this course was a little more playable and a little bit better done, then I could recommend it heartily, but unfortunately it is not. It is still a lot of fun to play though and if you have a fast connection I say give it a try. You may enjoy hitting 300 yard five irons!
Included/Not Included:
Cameo: Yes
Splash Screen: Yes
Hole Previews: Yes
Tee Signs: No
Custom Tee Markers: No
Custom Flags: Yes
Read-Me: Yes
Handicaps: No
Custom or added Sounds: No |
|
CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Imaginary, mountain course. |
Location
TBA |
Conditions
TBA |
Concept 9/10
The course's slogan is 'Golf Taken To New Levels', and don't take it
metaphorically. Victory Grounds plays literally over the top of a mountain,
and a steep one at that! It's not an original idea as such, but it has been
carried out extremely well with some fittingly novel hole designs and a host
of Par 5s on the back nine. Subtle, it isn't, but exciting it most certainly is. |
Appearance 4/10
The mountain doesn't look entirely convincing at certain points, and the waterfalls look amateurish at best, but there's a fabulous and
appropriate backdrop to distract your attention. The custom textures are very apt, but even they don't disguise some poor extrusion
and elevation work. There's some good 3D custom options, but there's also a few 'floaters', if you'll excuse the term. It's a mixed bag,
but with the bad slightly outweighing the good. |
Playability 7/10
Although there's tremendous fun to be had from playing around this course, a few inconsistencies lead to improbable lies, and
obstructed views are annoyingly common. It's not a course to be played with the Top Cam, although the ultra-realists will probably
shun this course in any case. If you can get past the irritatingly hard tee-shots, then there's some great sound effects and, of course,
the inevitable steep elevation changes to engage you. |
Challenge 5/10
All the challenge here is - unsurprisingly - artificially created. Long carries are commonplace and the hazards are frequently in play.
The bunkers are steeply graduated and almost impossible to get out of with accuracy. It's a course with little escape room, almost
certainly impossible for the advanced swing types, and therefore cannot gain full marks. |
Technical 5/10
Full marks for imagination and style, but sadly it hasn't all been carried through. Admittedly, the APCD isn't up to high-tech courses
such as this, but there should be no excuse for the poor extrusions, and the waterfalls which look like nothing else I've ever seen. A
brave attempt, certainly, but ultimately a flawed one and no better for it. |
| Overall |
A unique course, and one with its own crazy appeal. It's unlikely to appeal to the
golf purists, or those on advanced swing types, though. |
30/50 |
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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