24-HR Network: Kelson - Viewing Profile - 24-HR Network

Dear Valued Members of 24-HR Network,

Sometime around the end of January 2012, 24-HR Network will be merging with Defunct Online. At that time, this site will basically cease to exist, and all members navigating to this site will instead be directed to Defunct Online.

As valued members, I think you all deserve a truthful explanation of why Tazz and I have come to this decision. In order to do this, I think the best place to start is with a history of the work that Tazz and I have done together . . . and the parts we have each played in our extraordinary partnership.

Tazz and I first started working together on the original Tiger Woods Community. Tazz not only financed the site, but he was also the architect of the site. He is an extraordinary webmaster, who is able to complete tasks inhumanly fast. In general terms, I have been the administrator of Tazz's sites. At first, Tazz did most of the administrative work. Under his guidance, I eventually took over practically all of the administrative duties. In essence, over time, Tazz came to work mostly behind the scenes, while I was more of an up-front and visible type of guy.

Tiger Woods Community was not the only site that Tazz and I worked on. We had an extremely successful site called Warhammer Conflict. We've also had sites like 24-HR Gaming, 24-HR Entertainment, L2Devianne and a few satellite sites that ran off those main sites. In most cases, Tazz handled absolutely all of the webmaster work, and also funded the sites out of his own pocket. I simply did the administrative work. Most of our sites were totally without advertisements, and I can honestly tell you that in the 10+ years that Tazz and I have been working together, neither of us have made a penny on any of the sites at any time.

Last year at about this time, I actually funded a site of my own. Tazz graciously handled the webmaster duties and built the site for me. That site is Defunct Online.

I can tell you in all honesty . . . I was shocked at how much a site costs. Since Tazz always paid for everything out of his own pocket, I was entirely ignorant of the money he had spent. When you take into consideration the purchase of the domain name, hosting, software and licensing - which have to be renewed on a 6 to 12 month basis, the bills can really add up! At Defunct Online, for example, I have spent well over $1,000 in less than a year. That's not even taking into account the extraordinary amount of time it takes to run these sites! If you really look here at 24-HR Network, you can easily see that I have spent hundreds of hours working on this site since it opened.

The problem is that 24-HR Network never really caught on. So, Tazz and I had to step back and wonder if it was worth investing more time and money into this site. Believe me, neither Tazz nor I are in this for the money. We do these sites because we love it. I can't speak for Tazz, but I thoroughly enjoy the creativity that goes into developing this websites. So, for me, when 24-HR Network didn't catch on, it was devastating for me.

Which bring me to Defunct Online, which has been my brain-child from its inception. Believe me, I made a lot of mistakes early on, and thus the site has changed tremendously since we opened in February of 2011. While Defunct Online doesn't have as many members as 24-HR Network, the fact of the matter is that the site's activity is very steady and extremely promising.

So, instead of Tazz paying for one site and me paying for another, we've decided to merge the two sites. I will be adding some of the discussion from 24-HR Gaming to Defunct Online, particularly the World Golf Challenge discussions. However, Defunct Online will no longer be "hosting" courses for World Golf Challenge. Instead, we urge designers and member to upload/download courses at World Golf Online. Another option would be to use Defunct Online to upload and download courses. However, this would be done directly in the site's forum - as the site does not have a dedicated download section. You can add courses as attachments to a forum post. The main reason why I discourage this is because uploading courses as a forum attachment would likely be extremely time consuming. I have not tested it out, but I plan to do so with a couple of courses just to see if it is feasible. If uploading courses is feasible, we will gladly do so at Defunct Online.

I also wanted to say a word about Defunct Online, and explain to everyone what the site is about. The site is for men, although I would say 1/3 of our members are women. The site forums feature things that men find interesting . . . . humor, sports, gadgets, rants and pictures. While 24-HR Network is mostly a "G-rated" site, Defunct Online is best described as "PG-13". We don't allow nudity, racism or other offensive things along those lines. However, since the site is geared toward men, we do allow off-color language in our posts, crude jokes, and general mayhem on different levels. Think of Defunct Online as a site that is sort of like it would be to have a group of men talking around a water-cooler, or in a locker room. That being said, Defunct Online is not going to be for everyone. However, we certainly hope you will give it a try.

When the sites merge, you will automatically be directed to Defunct Online. You can click here if you would like to visit Defunct Online now. Keep in mind that I am adding more content to the site which will allow me to add a few of the discussion that currently exist at 24-HR Network. This will be done by the end of January 2012, in time for the merger to take place.

Sorry this was so long, but I sincerely thought everyone should know what exactly is going on and the reasons for it. If you have any questions, I will be more than happy to answer them!

Several weeks ago we polled the community for its questions regarding the upcoming version of World Golf Challenge. We'd like to thank everyone for all the great questions that were submitted. Dean Baker, Managing Directer of Red Chain Games Ltd. was nice enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to provide several answers to your questions. When reading the following interview, please note that Dean asks for your input several times throughout.

24-HR Network: Can you give us a little insight as to why World Golf Challenge is being rebuilt from scratch with an all-new engine?
Dean Baker: We always build from scratch, there’s no point reusing old technology, it can always be improved on and if you’re not continually updating you can’t hope to be the best. Creating the best golf game is our goal and software/hardware has moved on so quickly and allows us to do so much more that we have to take advantage of the very late test developments, that requires starting over.

24-HR Network: Do you anticipate there being a community beta test for World Golf Challenge prior to its release?
Dean Baker: Yes, definitely.

24-HR Network: When do you expect for the new game to be competed and released?
Dean Baker: Progress is going better than expected but it’s still very early days, given our ambitious goals we would hope to beta next year, beyond that we can’t say yet. At the moment we’re putting all the building blocks in place, to handle textures, objects, shaders, lighting etc, we hope to start prototyping the more fun, graphical elements shortly.

24-HR Network: Can you tell us how much World Golf Challenge will cost?
Dean Baker: Our best guess is $20. Our current plan is to sell the editor and game separately, the editor will probably be $10. If you want to use the editor to make money we will require the purchase of a commercial license.

24-HR Network: What current architect features will be improved?
Dean Baker: Everything will be replaced and streamlined, taking into account everyone’s comments and to ensure maximum ease of use and therefore, speed of creation.

24-HR Network: This is kind of a broad question, but what new features might we expect in the course architect?
Dean Baker: I don’t want to reveal anything yet we are currently prototyping some ideas, that are radically different to what has gone before. Our aim is to dramatically speed up the process of building a course and hopefully at least halve the current time it takes.

24-HR Network: Will courses from previous versions of the game continue to work with the new version of the game?
Dean Baker: Because of the changes we’re not sure that will be possible, if it is we will do it.

24-HR Network: Will file sizes for the courses remain the same, or will they become bigger/smaller?
Dean Baker: It’s too early to tell. We will try keep the sizes down but as the courses become more complex, with more detail, higher resolution textures etc it’s only natural that they get bigger.

24-HR Network: Will the Game and Course Architect be released in one package, or will they be separate purchases?
Dean Baker: We’re not 100% certain but we may provide a package of both, despite releasing them individually.

24-HR Network: What version of DirectX will the game use?
Dean Baker: We’re using DX11 for development as it gives us huge advantages over previous versions. If and when 12 comes out we’ll look to support that too.

24-HR Network: Will players be able to launch the game through its own executable file, rather than having to launch the game through the portal?
Dean Baker: Hopefully yes, we’re looking at Steam as our model, which will allow a shortcut to launch the app directly.

24-HR Network: Will there be a season mode or career mode?
Dean Baker: We don’t have it designed yet but we will add them at some point.

24-HR Network: Will there be more player creation features available, regarding things like hair, skin tone, height etc?
Dean Baker: We will endeavour to allow more choice with regards to the players, while we have no plans for a character customisation tool, we will consider it in the future.

24-HR Network: Will there be more accessories added to the game, such as clubs, balls, shirts, hats etc?
Dean Baker: Yes, we hope to provide a much wider range of accessories and equipment, as well as a simpler system for importing your own.

24-HR Network: Can we look forward to things like a spectator gallery and commentary?
Dean Baker: There are currently no plans for this but if enough people want it we will reconsider.

24-HR Network: Can you tell us what kind of changes, if any, are in store for the mouse swing?
Dean Baker: We want to make some minor tweaks but nothing major.

24-HR Network: Can you tell us what kind of changes, if any, are in store for the click swing?
Dean Baker: We think this needs a more serious overhaul and we have to ensure it’s nice and smooth, regardless of frame-rate. Again, if someone could start a thread on the fansite for ideas, that would be great.

24-HR Network: Might we possibly see a "game controller" swing added to the game.
Dean Baker: We’d not considered it but I don’t see why not, please let us know what you’d prefer on the fansite, thanks.

24-HR Network: Will there be different swing animations in the game?
Dean Baker: Yes, they will all be replaced with new and improved ones.

24-HR Network: Many people love the difficulty of World Golf Challenge. Will the game maintain the current level of difficulty?
Dean Baker: We want to keep the difficulty for experienced players but improve the accessibility for newcomers. We also want to add an all new Pro mode which will be even harder!

24-HR Network: Some people say that hitting a driver off the fairway is too easy. Are there any plans to adjust this and other shots in the game?
Dean Baker: Yes, we want to make the game more accessible at first but their must a punishment for mishits at a higher level.

24-HR Network: Some people would like an option to play the game on much easier settings. Are there any plans to have clearly different difficulty levels in the game?
Dean Baker: Yes, our current goal is to introduce a handicap system to allow the player to advance to harder settings and use harder to control equipment.

24-HR Network: Can you share with us some of the things you are most excited about in the new version of World Golf Challenge?
Dean Baker: At the moment, it’s all very exciting, we’re really looking forward to prototyping the graphics and editor as they will have tangible results. We’re most looking forward to see what the new technology allows us to do in terms of short/long grass, lighting, effects, water (flow, waves, spray, waterfalls etc) and much more. Please keep an eye out for our soon be launched Dev Diary where we will update monthly on progress and provide screenshots and trailers. We hope to begin this around the end of September, depending on our progress. Thanks again for all the help and support, without you all this would not be possible.

Electronic Arts has announced that their popular Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters will be released for both Windows and Mac on September 6, 2011. Earlier this year the game was released for the consoles, and broke all kinds of franchise records for sales in its first week. Unfortunately, very little is known about the PC version of TW12. But we will share what we do know. This comes directly from the official EA site:

Start your journey down the “Road to the Masters” with Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters. For the first time in franchisehistory, players will be able to experience the rich history and tradition of the Masters Tournament. Play the famed Augusta National Golf Club, relive and recreate several historical Masters Moments and fully immerse yourself in the experience of playing in the Masters. Embark on the “Road to the Masters” as your career begins on the amateur tour and work your way through the Nationwide Tour, Q-School, and finally, the PGA TOUR. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters has something for every golf fan and also includes access to extensive online features via a three-month Membership to Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® Online!

From the EA Blog:

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 12: The Masters video game will be coming to the PC and Mac platforms on September 6. PC and Mac users will be able to finally walk and play the hallowed grounds of Augusta National Golf Club and have an authentic Masters experience at home or on the go.

“As we continue to expand the golf portfolio, we are extremely excited about bringing the Masters Tournament and Augusta National Golf Club to all the PC/Mac owners,” said Vice President/General Manager of EA SPORTS™ golf business Mike Taramykin. “The Tiger Woods PGA TOUR franchise continues to lead the way in multi-platform gaming, providing video game golf experiences on various channels - from traditional consoles to social media.”

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters for PC & Mac will include a host of gameplay features including:

· Road to the Masters: Start your journey down the “Road to the Masters” as your career begins on the amateur tour and you work your way through Q-School, Nationwide Tour and the PGA TOUR. Experience the rich history and tradition of the Masters Tournament and begin your chase to capture the most sought-after prize in professional golf – the Green Jacket.

· Masters Moments: Play through memorable, historic moments as you try to measure up against some of the sport’s greatest legends.

· Tiger at the Masters: Relive each of Tiger’s four wins at the Masters by attempting to equal or beat his scores in each round of the Tournament.

· Inside Augusta: Hole-by-hole descriptions of one of the most famous courses in the world – Augusta National Golf Club.

· 14 Championship Courses: In addition to Augusta National Golf Club and its Par 3 Course, take on the best of the best on some of the world’s most celebrated courses including Pebble Beach®, St. Andrews Links®, TPC at Sawgrass and many more!

· Photo Game Face: Upload your own image and create your golfer using the Photo Game Face technology.

Moreover, a three-month membership to Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® Online*, an authentic golf experience streamed directly through a web browser, is available with Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters. As a member, gamers will have access to additional features such as expanded multiplayer modes, additional courses and group tournaments.

The game will be available for purchase for $39.99 MSRP and will include a disc and a three-month membership to Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online. Current registered players of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online will receive a 25% pre-order discount** for redemption against Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters via digital download from EA's new Origin™ website.

This thread is now closed. We will be compiling the questions and forward them to Red Chain Games over the weekend. Thanks!

As some of you may have read earlier this year at 24-HR Network, Dean Baker announced that Red Chain Games is working on a whole new engine for World Golf Challenge. We thought it would be fun to allow our members to take a peek into what is in store for WGC. Dean has graciously said that he would do his best to answer our questions. But we're going to take it a step further . . . because we know that you are the ones that should be asking these questions. After all, you are the ones that are playing and designing for this great game.

That being said, this thread will be open until July 22. We ask you, the great 24-HR Network community, to submit question here for Dean and Red Chain Games about World Golf Challenge. After the question-submission time period has passed, we will bring your questions to Dean for some answers!

Before submitting your questions, please read the following ground rules:

• Please keep in mind that all questions will not be able to be answered. This is due to time constraints and also because it might be too early in the development process to give an answer to a particular question.
  
• Keep in mind that some answers may include information about intended features that may or may not be included in the final product.
  
• We reserve the right to edit grammar and sentence structure of any question - and also to combine question regarding the same subject matter.
  
• If we do not fully understand a question, we may send you a private message here at this site for clarification.
  
• This thread is for QUESTIONS ONLY. If you would like to speculate about a certain question, we absolutely welcome you to create another thread in this forum.

Let the questions begin!

Before releasing Google+ to the general public, Google instead released it's new social network on an invite only basis. I was fortunate enough to receive an invite, and I am writing this review based on approximately two hours of use. At first glance, Google+ looks a lot like Facebook. However, Google+ has some nice tools that either Facebook doesn't have, or which are buried so deep in Facebook's utterly confusing settings menu, you just may never know they existed. Anyway, this first impression review will cover only the very basics of Google+. From there, you can decide if you would like to try it or not.

Posting Videos and Pictures on your Stream


Instead of a "wall" like Facebook has, Google+ has a "stream". It's basically the same thing, only with more cool options. One of the first things I did on my stream was to post a YouTube video. This is much easier to do in Google+ than it is in Facebook. When you add a video to Facebook, you go to YouTube and then copy/paste the url onto your Facebook wall. You can do the same thing with Google+. However, Google+ also has a YouTube search engine built into the site. This eliminates the need to navigate away from Google+ entirely. This is a very nice feature. You can also upload videos to Google+ from your computer or your phone.

Posting pictures is done basically the same way it is done on Facebook. You can upload pictures from your computer or your phone, create different albums, and tag your friends. The only difference is in how the pictures of your friends are viewed. When you go to your photo page, your friends are listed there as well. So, you can simply click on a picture and navigate through any albums they have given you permission to see.

Posting a Link


Posting a link to your favorite web page is pretty much the same as it is in Facebook. However, with Google+ you will see that general links (links that point to a specific website, not a specific post on that site) are a lot cleaner. One other thing you will notice in the bottom left of the picture above is the =1 button. This is basically the same as Facebook's "like" button. I really have not explored the +1 at all yet, but it wouldn't surprise me if it had some sort of additional feature attached to it.

Choosing your Friends


In my opinion, perhaps the biggest innovation that Google+ provides are called "Circles". In basic terms, you create a circle in order to group your "friends" into different groups. For instance, you might have a circle made up of family members, another for the people you work with, another for people you go to school with . . the possibilities are endless.

Now, let's say you want to post something on your stream that is specifically for your family. Google+ gives you complete control over your stream - so if you don't want the people you work with to see what you're saying to your family, you simply make that stream post Family Only. In other words, you control which circles get to see any specific content you post . . whether it's a stream, a picture, a link or a video. In basic terms, you now have the tools to allow and/or block specific content that you are posting.

Options when viewing your Stream


Another nice feature Google+ provides is the ability to edit which part of your stream you see. Let's say you only want to see posts made by your family . . . well, all you have to do is click on "family", and you'll only see what posts are made from people in that specific circle.

Random Thoughts

Here's some things I have not really tried out yet, but are worth mentioning.

- Google+ makes it easy to invite friends. With your permission, it will find your contacts from your Yahoo and Hotmail accounts.
- You can text chat, voice chat and video chat with Google+. You can do this with multiple people at once. I am not sure if there is a limit to how many people you can have in one specific chat though.
- When a comment is made on your stream, it is apparently bumped up to the top of your stream upon page refresh. This includes any comments made on one of your friend's streams. I am not sure that I like this particular feature, and I don't know at this point if there is a way to turn this option off.

Again, keep in mind that these are my basic first impressions of Google+. I have not used it nearly enough to decide that it is going to be better than Facebook, or perhaps even kill Facebook ... but I have used it enough to know that I actually enjoy it, and look forward to seeing it grow.