FSX slipped from May to January? What SW to buy if using GC2

[golferinmd]

Thanks...does TGC stand for TruGolf e6 ? I went to the swingsense.com software site they had that and Protee Golf 2.0

How is the range part of the TGC package? Do you have different targets and such...

Thanks

[mthunt]

Trugolf is something else. TGC Stands for the golf club game. It is an Xbox game that was converted to sim. It works very well with GC2 and comes with Protee software. Buy protee and everything you need is included

[golferinmd]

Thank you..been gone for awhile..so buy the Protee 2.0 and you are good to go. How is the practice mode...good?

Thanks again...Happy New Year. It appears many are going to Protee 2.0 and skipping out on FSX.

[mthunt]

Go to YouTube and type TGC Protee and you'll see why. There's another forum that has all the details. Google and golf simulator forum

[golferinmd]

Thanks...I do have the old software and Creative (a waste). How is the practice mode in Protee and TGC. I would like targets to aim for like they have on the Golf Channel (School of Golf)

[mthunt]

Practice mode is great. You can practice from any spot on any course or use challenges or ranges. With TGC you design your own practice area.

[SFR]

Practice mode in The Golf Club is not done yet. So far there have been work arounds to making it easier to practice hitting shots.

You can't practice on a course like you can in the Protee or Foresight software yet.

Sounds like they are working on a practice mode.

[golferinmd]

Thanks...how is the Protee practice driving range? Is it better than Foresight? I like targets to land into like the Golf Channel. Anyone have a snapshot of a protee driving range? Thanks!

[mthunt]

The Protee range looks like the remax long drive. Nothing exciting. I was not aware TGC practice didn't work.

[bk1106]

I have GC2+HMT+FSS+1 course, liked everything but have started reading up on Protee/TGC and watched a few recordings on Youtube. The graphics and number of course offerings look really impressive. I would appreciate some feedbacks on some early questions to speed up my research:

Mini-maps
Foresight courses have mini-maps for the course and the green (w/ color gradients), both right on the playing screen. Can TGC have these right on the playing screen? Same question for the Protee courses.

Weaknesses of TGC worth mentioning
Are there any weaknesses worth mentioning for Protee/TGC coming from Foresight's FSS courses? (aside from the "risk of being blocked", and "more initial software setup") Things like (i) model sophistication, does TGC's console game origin house a less sophisticated course model or (ii) perhaps models that are more loosely modeled against the real courses? Or, (iii) game play, do we need to go to the PC more often during play?

Thanks very much.

[SFR]

TGC was a console game to begin with and when it came out guys drooled over the graphics and only wished it could be a golf sim. It was not much more than 4 months later they had a beta to test and play with the Protee or GC2 as a sim. Being a console game there were lots of things that needed to change to make the sim option work and they got a version close enough to release and let guys start playing even though there were going to be tweaking and improving the sim version.

The mini map is not great where it is at now but requests have been made to make it more user friendly. Zooming into the greens lets you see the ball rolling grid but not a graphic like in Foresight.

They are at that stage where there are a bunch of things that guys want to see added or changed to make the sim version play better. They are working on a bunch of changes and this area may take 6 months or so to get to. As is, you can play it and enjoy the sim but do know that they are still making changes for the better. When you think of the 4 to 6 months they have been out, and what they have now, compared to other sims that have been in the works for years and still not able to play at all.

As for courses, they are only as good as the guy who created them, so there are a lot that are not playable as a sim but also a lot that are and getting to be more every week. Some newer courses are looking real good and play a lot better once they are adjusted a bit for sim play. As the feature requests get put into the new releases, the sim will play even better.

As it is now with the GC2 you don't need to change your clubs that often but you do need to hit some buttons to advance to the next hole and also to set up your shots and see where you are hitting to. An air mouse or small wireless keyboard is great for any sim for this reason.

I had been waiting to see Foresights new software and even the Jack Nicklaus stuff they had on their web site for the last couple years but, who knows how long that will take. If it ends up being better I would think about adding it to the collection but for now you can't beat the price on TGC.

[bk1106]

Thanks SFR, answered pretty much all my questions. Good to know that improvements are in the works for TGC, though already a very playable sim. Another thing I am curious about is the accuracy in rendered ball flight. My only experience has been with Foresight, where mis-hits would have their weird but believable flights or bounces, or certain drives would have a long roll, etc. Does TGC tend to do the same, show it as it is, so to speak? (not questioning where the ball ends up) Thanks again.

[SFR]

I have not seen a low drive run for ever in TGC, if anything the ball may not roll quite as much as in Red Chain software (what Foresight uses) in the fairways.

There are the odd issues in TGC which have been noted on their web site with how the ball reacts but if you duff a shot it will show just like it should. Again things are early yet with that sim and know that things will get better.

The trees are harder to hit through in TGC so they tend to be more real. Also the uphill and downhill had always seemed to play more into the shots in the Red Chain than what it should have where there was too much yardage lost in an uphill hit. TGC seems to be good in this area.

[bk1106]

FSR, thanks again. Ball flight realism could be important in differentiating a sim that plays like a sim or a sim that plays like a game. Research continues for me and thanks for all the valuable feedbacks.

[syhlif32]

As fare as I know ball flights are handled by the interface the sim software takes over when the golf ball hits the ground. Guess when the golf ball hits anything thing? Trees, bushes or buildings but not sure.

You should not write of the 'old' Protee courses for now the game play is much better in them and while it is less stunning graphics you can make some of the courses look pretty good.
Apply a 4Gb patch to the Protee.exe and use driver settings for AA and texture optimization.

As SFR pointed out there are some short comings in TGC for use with a simulator. For me the biggest issue is the lack of aim and distance measurement on the mini map or other way of find a safe landing area.
Lack of practice mode is another big minus.
Green speed and FW roll is build into the individual course which can make a otherwise great looking course unplayable on the simulator
( I do not think you can change that?)
That said when you find a course with a layout that fits your eye and playable with a simulator the experience beats the best of the Red Chain courses.
And with +32k courses there isn't any lack of great courses.

[SFR]

You should not write of the 'old' Protee courses for now the game play is much better in them and while it is less stunning graphics you can make some of the courses look pretty good.
Apply a 4Gb patch to the Protee.exe and use driver settings for AA and texture optimization.

I would be interested to hear more on this. Thanks.

Also TGC was free to existing customers. They could have sat on it for a year and just given a range to play on but they got a playable version out in about 5 months. The good news is that they will fix the things that you brought up that need to be addressed. That may take a bit of time but we can still play for now and make due.

[bubba22]

There will be good changes to TGC. It's a great sim software. Aim and distance, mini map etc will be coming. Remember it's in it's first year. Green speed etc will also b addressed.

[syhlif32]

4GB patch.
http://www.ntcore.com/4gb_patch.php
I use the CFF Explore on the same site and there are more out there but all do the same.
It is the Protee.exe file that need patching.
In standard installation it is in
C:\Program Data\ProteePortal\Games\ProteeSim\Protee.exe

Before I patched I occasional had black screen for 1-3 sec. guess while memory got cleaned out to load new textures. Newer have that issue anymore. While I do not think I got more avg. FPS I believe I got higher minimum fps so are not seeing strutting ether.
This only works for 64 bit Windows versions but assume most got that by now?

Not to hijack this thread I will make another thread for optimizing driver settings.

I am very impressed with TGC and found it amassing we got it for free! Just wanted to point out that doesn't mean that the Protee/ Red Chain courses are dead and gone.

[SFR]

Thanks, I will look into that.

I tend to play the Red Chain yet when friends are over as it is still easier to see things and yardages and such so I agree..... they are still worth playing.

[DjPiLL]

DjPill - how do you like the HMT?

HMT is expensive, but very good. It really helps with the driver. I've taken it to the range along with my gc2.

My biggest complaint with it is for lefty they do not reverse the pictures of the clubs. So reading the hmt data for a lefty is very confusing. It's like the numbers data is accurate but the way it interprets the data for outside in and such is very confusing. Thankfully I am a righty so I don't need to deal with this, but when my dad is over he is a lefty and its a pain. Still worth it though.

If protee TGC can read and interpret the HmT data I might buy.

[nicksez]

Just received the GC2 buying guide for 2015. Looks like FSX play is avaible and has the following courses Teton Pines, Cog Hill, Akron, Warwickshire, Interlachen, Olympic, Schaumburg, Waconda.

With the following coming soon: Couere d’A’lene, Dallas National, Glen Oak, Congressional Country Club

Has courses listed at $95 - $155 per course or you can pay $255 per year and receive a new course each month.

Anyone else seen this buyers guide and have any input or thoughts? Still trying to decide which software to go with.

[Steven]

I was told that they are showing Teton Pines course off at the PGA show going on right now. They are supposed to send it out to me right after the show. I am pretty sure they only have the one course finished right now.

[nicksez]

Have you seen the 2015 Brochure? It reads as if multiple courses are done and some are coming soon, but who knows with them at this point. Also I was told Butch Harmon is now on the board. Not sure what that means exactly.

[Steven]

I have not seen the 2015 brochure. However, I would not be happy if they had a course ready for a while and waited until they finished several other before releasing it. I paid for it in March 2104.

[mxwoodman]

Watched Foresight on one of Cory's videos from the PGA show and Grant said they would be shipping out the Teton Pines course the next day. I think that was Thursday or Friday. Anyone get the course and tried it yet?

[col forbin]

Talked to Grant and he said that they would be emailing the course in March. I pre ordered a year ago, but he said that the mass email blast would be going out in March. He also said additional courses would be available for around $150 or so. In the future, they will be releasing possibly 2 courses a month. Evidently, there is just a couple of tweaks holding Teton Pines from being sent to the public yet.

[Kball]

Amazing at how bad Foresight is at estimating availability. ��

[mxwoodman]

Wow at $150 that's about twice the cost of the what you get in the FX course packs per course. Seems like a bad move on the pricing with the other options out there.

[col forbin]

It is pretty steep.........he said the courses would be going down after the initial releases to possibly $120, but still steep. They will also evidently be offering a yearly subscription. One course per month......don't know the cost on that one. I'm hoping they will throw me a free course since I paid $1K a year ago. I'm just a small guy to them, but patience and customer loyalty should get me one free course. Wishful thinking!!!

[mxwoodman]

I think Grant said that Teton Pines would come with the upgrade. col forbin I guess you already have the FSX fitting software. Do you use it and is it any better than FS version? I can't wait so see the new course and see how it compares to TGC